Post-Pandemic Future of Public Transportation

"Sixty percent of electric vehicles in the world will depend on the battery energy ecosystem that is being developed in Indonesia as part of [energy] integration," President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said at the Kompas 100 CEO Forum at the State Palace recently.

In the transportation sector, battery-powered electric vehicles are the main alternative in the transition to clean energy.

In general, transportation technology is inseparable from the development of industrial technology as seen since the first industrial revolution to the present, which is the industrial revolution 4.0. The rapid development of digital technology and the strong push to develop low-carbon or clean energy-based technologies are simultaneously integral to the development of transportation.

Rail-based transportation has undergone a long evolution from its initial to the current stage, which is far more advanced. The first steam engine train, with the route between Liverpool and Manchester (England) in the 1830s, ran on rails at a relatively slow speed in the era of the first industrial revolution.

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Today, super-fast and super-sophisticated maglev (magnetic levitation) or trans-rapid bullet trains, such as those in Germany, China and Japan (Shinkansen), blast on rails at the speed of up to 600 kilometers/hour. These trains are a technological representation of the industrial revolution 4.0.

Likewise, automotive technology has developed on the trail of the industrial revolution, from the very simple form of a gas-powered car invented by Karl Benz in 1886 to high-tech cars in the industrial revolution 4.0 era, such as the BMW 5 Series, Rolls Royce Wraith, Volvo S90, Corvette Stingray, Honda Odyssey, Ford Mustang and Tesla Model S. Electric cars are equipped with sophisticated safety features, such as roadside, pedestrian, cyclist and an animal-alert system, as well as an auto braking system that works at the speed up to 130 kilometers/ hour.

Electric vehicles

Responding to the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the transportation sector, electric vehicles (EV) emerge as the first choice for massive development and production, especially toward 2030. This is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda.

Electric buses have gained initial momentum to be developed as a means of public transportation, replacing public buses that use fossil energy sources, including fuel and gas. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Transjakarta and state-run bus company Damri have started operating a fleet of electric buses.

Although still on a very small scale, we have proved ourselves as a country that can produce electric buses with a fairly high level of incorporated domestic components (TKDN). Dozens of the Red and White’s electric buses had been made at state-owned train manufacturer PT INKA Madiun prior to the convening of the Group of 20 Summit recently in Bali.

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STEFANUS OSA TRIYATNA

The electric bus made by PT INKA was reviewed by the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (right) at the PT INKA Factory, Madiun, East Java, Sunday (17/7/2022).

The electric buses were developed by PT INKA in collaboration with a consortium of universities, such as UGM, ITS, ISI Denpasar and others. They were deployed in Bali to serve summit delegates and participants.

In the next few years toward 2030, we will need a large number of electric buses to replace conventional public buses. Our concern is whether we can meet the need with our own domestic production, instead of relying on import.

We have yet to own a national electric bus manufacturing plant with a capacity of up to tens of thousands of units per year. Therefore, it is necessary to study the feasibility of building a large-scale plant by involving state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the private sector, considering the country’s great potential in raw materials, including nickel and bauxite, as well as great opportunities ahead. China is currently the king of global electric buses, with domestic manufacturers being capable of supplying the needs of the fleet in many countries, including Indonesia.

Apart from electric buses, the green public transportation mode deserving to be developed is rail-based transportation with electric battery locomotives. It will be a different type of electric train from Jakarta’s commuter train (KRL), whose electric generation comes from the power grid through the overhead pantograph.

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The downside is that the KRL is not suitable for long-distance travel because it would require a construction of a considerably long power grid, thus posing difficulty to control. After all, as far as the electricity supply still depends largely on coal-fired power plants, the KRL is not supportive of green transportation. When the KRL will become "green" depends on the acceleration of the energy transition from fossil to new and renewable energy (EBT) in Indonesia.

Battery-powered trains have begun to be developed in several countries. The world's first battery-powered freight train appeared in Pittsburgh, the United States, in September 2021.

The world's first hybrid electric passenger train from Italy was displayed at the InnoTrans transport exhibition in Berlin, Germany, in September. The United Kingdom’s Chiltern Railways has also operated hybrid electric trains (diesel-battery powered) this year.

For water/sea transportation, electric ships have also become an option to replace fossil fuel-powered diesel ships.

In 2017, Australia’s Byron Bay Railroad Company announced the world's first 100 percent solar-powered electric train through the rehabilitation of a three kilometer-long rail in Byron Bay. A solar panel with a capacity of 6.5 kW is installed on the rooftop of the train, which can supply electricity to the 77 kWh-capacity battery.

At the end of the route is a solar panel installation with storage capacity of 30 kW, equipped with a charging station.

It seems that electric battery-powered trains with mounted solar panel installation on the rooftops will become one of the most feasible alternatives to the currently used conventional diesel-powered trains.

Meanwhile, for water/sea transportation, electric ships have also become an option to replace fossil fuel-powered diesel ships. However, the operation of these electric ships is still limited to ferrying services or relatively short-distance trips.

From a conservation perspective, electric vessels look suitable for use in tourist destinations, such as Lake Toba. For long-distance trips, their provision may need further study, taking into account the cruising range and power storage capacity.

By the end of last year, the world's first battery-powered cargo ship weighing 3,200 tons and measuring 80 meters in length set out from Porsgrunn, Norway. The ship is equipped with eight battery units with a total capacity of 6.8 Mwh.

The ship is operated domestically by a Norwegian fertilizer company to replace the land transportation services by a truck fleet. It can save costs, reduce emissions and avoid congestion on Norwegian roads. The use of electric cargo ships and ferry vessels has marked the emerging wave of electrification in the maritime transportation subsector.

Hydrogen power

In addition to electric battery power, hydrogen power is likely to play a significant role in the development of green transportation in the future. Hydrogen is used as energy-generating fuel, either in the form of fuel cell or an internal combustion engine (ICE).

The fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy from hydrogen into electrical energy through "oxidation reduction" reactions. This hydrogen gas can be stored in a tank reinforced with carbon fiber material.

Hydrogen fuel cells are used to power passenger cars or logistics trucks, even trains and ships. Apart from releasing zero emissions and relatively low maintenance costs, refilling hydrogen gas for passenger cars only takes a maximum of five minutes.

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In the railway industry, hydrogen-based trains are an alternative to diesel trains, in addition to battery-electric trains. Trains with hydrogen fuel or what is known as hydrail operate on hydrogen conversion, either through ICE or the fuel cell in the locomotive.

With its various advantages, hydrogen fuel is quite prospective to replace fossil fuels in the future, apart from electric vehicle batteries. The co-existence of electric hydrogen and battery trains in the public transportation sub-sector is likely to become the backbone of the energy transition in the transportation sector.

It must come to our awareness that we also have great biofuel potential. Acceleration of the energy transition toward green transportation can run simultaneously along the pace of advancement in the application of digital technology/industrial revolution 4.0 in this sector.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Budi Karya Sumadi

Budi Karya Sumadi, Transportation Minister

This article was translated by Musthofid.