More and more travelers are using electric vehicles

The number of SPKLU transactions increased fivefold during this Eid compared to last year's Eid.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

PLN officers conducted a trial of filling in the SPKLU at the rest area Kilometer 20 B of the Bakauheni-Terbanggi Besar Toll Road, on Saturday (6/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The number of electric vehicles used by residents to return home for Eid is increasing. One indicator is the number of transactions at public electric vehicle charging stations or SPKLU which increased five times more during Lebaran 2024 compared to last year's Eid.

PT PLN (Persero) Retail and Commerce Director Edi Srimulyanti said that more and more travelers are driving electric cars. The number of SPKLU transactions during the Eid homecoming from H-7 to H+7 was 11,377 transactions, a five-fold increase compared to last year's Eid homecoming which was 2,275 transactions. The transactions came from SPKLU owned by PLN starting from toll roads in Sumatra, Java and in tourist areas throughout Indonesia.

"This shows that the number of homecoming travelers using electric vehicles is increasing rapidly," said Edi during a press conference for the Indonesian Electric Vehicle Industry Association (Periklindo) Electric Vehicles Show (PEVS) 2024 in Jakarta on Monday (22/4/2024).

In line with the increase in transactions at the fuel station serving facility (SPKLU), the amount of electricity consumption has also increased. Realized electricity consumption at the SPKLU during the period of 7 days before and after Eid al-Fitr was 226.5 megawatt hours (MWh), which is 5.2 times higher than in 2023, which was 43.5 MWh.

With a tariff of 1,500 Indonesian rupiah per kilowatt-hour (kWh), the transaction value reaches 339.75 million rupiahs. During the annual exodus, PLN also deploys more than 3,500 officers in each public electric vehicle charging station (SPKLU) to assist electric car users in recharging their vehicles.

He added that currently PLN has 1,299 SPKLU designed for filling the electric power for four-wheeled vehicles. PLN also has 9,600 public electric charging stations (SPLU) for filling the electric power for two-wheeled vehicles. In addition, PLN also has 1,900 battery exchange locations.

Also read: Electric Car Ecosystem Getting Better, More Than 4,140 Units Join Home

Increase population

Edi added that this year his team will add 3,000 units of SPKLU. The details are as follows: 1,000 units will be planted on the ground and 2,000 units will be installed on electricity poles.

"The preparation of the SPKLU is aimed at driving the population of electric vehicle usage. This is in line with PLN's efforts to encourage a cleaner energy transition," he said.

On the same occasion, the Chairman of Periklindo, Moeldoko, is optimistic that the population of electric vehicles, both four-wheeled and two-wheeled, will continue to grow in line with the development of supporting infrastructure for the electric vehicle ecosystem, which continues to increase. Various types of battery charging locations, including SPLU, SPKLU, and battery exchange stations, continue to expand.

Apart from that, one of the drivers is the increasing number of brands and manufacturers entering the Indonesian market.

“More and more brands are entering, both cars and motorbikes. "Consumers have more choices," said Moeldoko.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

The BYD Denza D9 model was also featured in the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2024 exhibition at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Thursday (February 15, 2024).

Citing data from the Ministry of Industry, electric car sales throughout 2023 amounted to 12,248 units and that figure increased compared to 2022 with only 8,562 units. Although the number increased, the proportion of sales was only 1.21 percent of the total car sales in 2024, which were 1,005,802 units.

Meanwhile, the sales of electric motorcycles from 2017 to 2023 are expected to be only around 54,000 units. This is despite the fact that motorcycle sales in 2023 are projected to reach 6.23 million units.

One of the activities to introduce new brands of electric vehicles is by holding various exhibitions. One of them is the Periklindo Electric Vehicle Show (PEVS) 2024. On this occasion, 82 brands of electric vehicles, both two-wheel and four-wheel, will be showcased.

The brands of four-wheeled electric vehicles include Wulling, Neta, Build Your Dream (BYD), and Tesla. Meanwhile, the brands of two-wheeled electric vehicles include Alva, Volta, and Keeway.

The Head of Marketing & Communication of PT BYD Motor Indonesia, Luther Panjaitan, welcomes various exhibitions held. This could be an opportunity to introduce and communicate products to the public.

A similar opinion was also expressed by the owner of Benelli Motor Indonesia, Steven Kentjana Putra, who sells electric motorcycles under the brand Keeway. Indonesia has a huge potential market for electric vehicles.

Also read: It Takes Time to Form an Electric Vehicle Ecosystem