Driving an electric vehicle on the highway has been an experience worth sharing. It gives the sensation of driving quietly without the smell of backfired exhaust smoke.
By
DAHONO FITRIANTO
·4 minutes read
Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro
An electric car exhibited at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2021 automotive exhibition at ICE BSD, Tangerang Regency, Banten, Thursday (11/11/2021).
As dawn breaks, a number of electric cars can be seen passing a thoroughfare in Jakarta. They can also be found across roads on the city’s outskirts. This is the ushering in of the green transportation era, which promises a new, environmentally friendly driving experience.
Driving an electric vehicle on the highway has been an experience worth sharing. It gives the sensation of driving quietly without the smell of backfired exhaust smoke. Electric vehicles (EVs) provide quietness inside the cabin by using an electric propelling engine instead of the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE).
Initial doubts regarding the electric propelling engine’s performance in place of the ICE have been dispelled. Instant power channeled to the wheels, as the maximum torque is reached as soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed, make it more fun to drive compared with conventional cars.
Worries about the lack of charging facilities for electric car batteries are also beginning to fade.
The manufacturers, which have expanded the EV market to Indonesia, mostly offer purchasing packages that include the installation of wall chargers or wallboxes at home.
The 7-kilowatt alternating current (AC) battery charger needs six to seven hours to fully charge a car.
With electric cars on the market today able to cover distances between 250 and 300 kilometers fully charged, there should be no need to worry that the car will run out of power, especially when it is only used for daily commuting in the city.
Just plug the car in before going to bed and when you wake up the battery will be fully charged again, as is our habit of using mobile phones.
Worries are not necessary at all for those who regularly recharge as soon as they arrive at home. Just plug the car in before going to bed and when you wake up the battery will be fully charged again, as is our habit of using mobile phones.
Even in the case of an emergency, in which the car needs to be charged during the commute, there is no need be cautious now that public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU), which are operated by state electricity company PLN and several other institutions, have been increasing in number in Jakarta and its surroundings.
Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro
The Nissan Leaf electric car exhibited at the 2021 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) automotive exhibition at ICE BSD, Tangerang, Banten, Sunday (11/21/2021).
Some charging stations offer the option of fast and superfast direct current (DC) charging. The latter’s model has tens of kilowatts of power, charging the battery from near empty to full in merely one hour on average.
PLN is currently expanding the installation of charging stations to other big cities, with some on the intercity toll roads. Based on information from the PLN Mobile application, charging stations are already available at a number of rest areas on the trans-Java and trans-Sumatera toll roads.
In November 2020, Kompas was given the chance to test-drive a Hyundai Kona Electric car. The battery electric vehicle (BEV) proved worthy driving for the return trip from Jakarta to Borobudur in Magelang regency, Central Java and back.
However, we had to be meticulous about travel arrangements and the route assessment. We stayed overnight in Cirebon, West Java, where, we had learned beforehand, there were two hotels that provided wall charger facilities operated by Hyundai, and arranged a stopover in Semarang, East Java, to charge the batteries at PLN-operated charging facilities.
Long-distance travel is becoming much less of a problem given the electrification technology currently on the market.
Toyota and Nissan have both marketed hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Although they are not completely free of exhaust emissions, these hybrid cars pave the way for the shift to green transportation as well as the possible mastery of EV technology.
KOMPAS/STEFANUS OSA
Hyundai electric car battery components are exhibited at GIIAS at ICE BSD, Tangerang, Banten, 11-21 November 2021.
At the recently concluded Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2021, a number of manufacturers exhibited their latest models of hybrid cars and BEVs.
These environmentally friendly cars have passed the test. The question now is, are we ready to shift our driving habits for a better future?
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