Electric Vehicles: Between Pride and the Challenges Ahead
Amongst those that feel the greatest pride during the Group of 20 Summit are the electric bus drivers.
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A bus driver prepares to drive an electric bus at the Benoa Harbor terminal in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday (9/11/2022). The government has prepared one large and 30 medium-sized electric buses as a means of commuter transportation to take delegates of the Group of 20 Summit to the venue.
The success of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua is said to be the pride and prestige of the nation. Even the electric bus drivers who will be transporting contingents of the G20 Summit feel extraordinary pride as well.
Amid the commotion of preparations for the summit, a group of G20 Summit shuttle bus drivers stand with pride that comes from driving electric vehicles made locally, then showcasing them in front of state guests from dozens of G20 member countries.
That sense of pride is felt through their fingers when pressing the operational button of the electric bus. Then, their hands move for a smooth drive. “It’s just like an automatic car. A push of a button brings it to life. Look, the indicator and screen is on. The only difference is that this vehicle doesn’t make much noise. It’s very smooth and almost silent, right?” said Guntur Satria (34), an electric bus driver from Perum Damri in Yogyakarta, at Benoa Harbor on Wednesday (11/09/2022).
Guntur is a Damri bus driver in Yogyakarta. For the G20 Summit, Perum Damri from various regions were asked to send several drivers for assistance.
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“I’m proud to be an electric bus driver at this international event. I hope the event runs smoothly and that everyone’s hard work pays off. Everyone is very busy right now. Hopefully, everything will be a success and can make the country proud,” Guntur said.
Before he was assigned to drive an electric bus at the G20 Summit, Guntur explained that he had attended training at PT INKA for one day. Then, he was given the task of driving the electric bus from Madiun to Bali.
“Initially, the electric bus was fully-charged when I drove from Madiun. When I arrived at Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, the battery was at 47 percent. Then, by boat, I crossed to Lewar Harbor and finally arrived at Padang Bay at 32 percent,” said Guntur, who deemed electric vehicles to be quite economical.
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A number of buttons are used to open and shut the doors of an electric bus at the Benoa Harbor terminal in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday (9/11/2022).
To ready an electric vehicle, the battery must be charged for 3.5 hours. According to Guntur, during a presentation by PT INKA it was explained that a bus with a fully-charged battery could cover a distance of up to 168 kilometers.
“I think this has great potential in Indonesia because it is environmentally friendly and energy efficient. It is not noisy and it does not cause pollution. Unfortunately, there is still one challenge, namely floods. This electric vehicle cannot go through water higher than 30 centimeters, otherwise it can cause damage. The most it can take is water that reaches the deck under the vehicle. This is because the battery is located at the bottom of the vehicle,” Guntur said.
That is why, he hoped, that if efforts to switch to electric vehicles in the future are made, it must consider ways of overcoming floods. Or, a vehicle can be developed with the battery stored in a higher place. “This car is rain-proof but not flood-proof,” said a driver who drove the shuttle route between G20 contingent hotels. The route of each driver will be randomized every day.
Ahead of the implementation of the G20 Summit in Bali, Benoa Harbor received several facilities to support the G20, including 900 electric cars and docked ships belonging to the Indonesian Navy, which contained security equipment.
Jerry (50), an assistant driver from Sumatra, also shares that pride. “I have experience with Transjakarta as I have been driving for them for five years. But of course I am very proud to be driving for this international event. We can provide a service and participate in the success of the country’s major event,” he said.
Jerry showed how electric vehicles in general are not very different from conventional vehicles. “Right now the car is on, can you hear a sound? No, right? This car does not need to be warmed up like a normal car. You can just press [the button] and drive,” he said.
One of the advantages of the electric car, according to Jerry, is that its suspension can be raised and lowered by approximately 30-50 cm. “If the road is damaged, the suspension can be raised like this. However, if the road is smooth, like a toll road, then its original position will be more stable,” he said.
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Several electric buses have been prepared at the Benoa Harbor terminal in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday (9/11/2022).
Official vehicles
Notably, electric cars have indeed become official vehicles at the G20 Summit. At least hundreds of different types of electric vehicles, including buses, will operate during the event.
In a press statement, PT PLN said it had built 21 units of public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLUs) in Bali. Of this total, 12 units are of the 25 kilowatts type, while the 9 others are of the 50 kW type. These charging stations can be found in several locations, including several of Bali’s gas stations.
PLN, in a previous press statement, explained that a variety of electric vehicles will be used for activities during the G20 Summit, namely the Hyundai Genesis G80, IONIC 5 and Toyota BZ4 X, amounting to as many as 491 units, while sweepers and lead cars totaled 164 units. Thus, a total of 656 vehicles will be used.
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A bus driver prepares to drive an electric bus at the Benoa Harbor terminal in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday (9/11/2022).
As for electric buses, 30 units will be provided by PT INKA. Charging stations will be placed at Pelindo’s HoHo Terminal and two other gas stations near I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport and in the ITDC Nusa Dua area.
Furthermore, there will also be two-wheeled vehicles to support operations at the Nusa Dua ITDC location, where PT Wika has provided 100 units of Gesits motorcycles with 50 swap batteries provided at the Nusa Dua ITDC. All these efforts for the G20 Summit have turned the ITDC Nusa Dua into an area using 100 percent clean energy.
Hundreds of electric vehicles have been delivered by their distributors through Benoa Harbor, Bali. “Ahead of the implementation of the G20 Summit in Bali, Benoa Harbor received several facilities to support the G20, including 900 electric cars and docked ships belonging to the Indonesian Navy, which contained security equipment. Of course, we provide the best to show our commitment in supporting the G20 in Bali,” said Pelingo regional head 3 Ardhy Wahyu Basuki.
According to Ardhy, in addition to supporting port services, Pelindo has also prepared supporting infrastructure, such as charging stations in the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub (BMTH). These public charging stations can be used to charge electric cars used in the G20 Summit.
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Several electric cars are parked during the VVIP Security Forces ceremony at the Niti Mandala field in Renon, Denpasar, Bali, on Monday (7/11/2022). There are 252 units of electric cars that will be used to escort the delegates of the upcoming G20 Summit. Security for the summit will dispatch 18,030 personnel, 14,351 of whom are from the Indonesian Military (TNI).
“Currently, about 7 charging stations have been prepared in the BMTH area, with power reaching 630 kilovolt-ampere, which can be used to charge G20 operational vehicles, the majority of which are electric cars. This is Pelindo’s true commitment to support the success of the G20 in Bali. Additionally, it will also support the transition to sustainable energy,” said Ardhy.
The use of electric vehicles was driven by an agreement made by G20 countries to accelerate the energy transition and achieve sustainable global development targets by 2030. The G20 energy ministers agreed on the “Bali Compact,” as a result of the Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting (ETMM) in Bali in September 2022, which contains nine principles. This was stated by the strategic planning expert staff at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Yudo Dwinanda Priaadi.
The nine principles include: increasing energy security; market stability and affordability; securing resilient, sustainable and reliable energy supplies; infrastructure and systems; increasing energy efficiency; diversifying energy systems and mixes; and reducing emissions from all energy sources.
Ultimately, the G20 Summit is not just to discuss financial issues. This event will also mark the beginning of the transition to new and renewable energy.
This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia
