Indonesia introduces electric pole charging stations with Jakarta as the pilot city

(Photo: PLN)

Charging poles become a key element in electric vehicle development, but the challenge lies in finding the most convenient locations. Indonesia’s State Electricity Company (Perusahaan Listrik Negara, PLN) introduces an innovative approach with electric pole charging stations, piloting in Jakarta for proximity charging convenience.

These public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) installed by PLN, where chargers are attached to their ubiquitous utility poles. Currently, there are two types of capacity, such as 7kW and 22kW. Two sets are located at PLN’s Office in West Jakarta, and the other one set is located at Yasporbi Elementary School, South Jakarta. PLN plans to standardize operations and expand these charging stations nationwide in the future, depending on their operational conditions.

The President Director of PLN, Darmawa Prasodjo, has expressed that given the abundance of utility poles across Indonesia, a simple adjustment can significantly increase the number of charging stations. In the future, PLN aims to collaborate with private enterprises through franchise agreements to address the issue of limited parking spaces. He stated, “I admit it that we don’t have strategic parking lots. However, Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Bank Mandiri, private banks, offices, and department stores, all of them have (parking spaces).”

(Photo: PLN)

Chairani Rachmatullah, Director of PLN Engineering, a subsidiary of PLN, mentioned that due to the advancement in digital transformation, electric vehicle users can conveniently locate the nearest public charging station through the PLN Mobile App. As for now, PLN has established 624 electric vehicle charging stations at 411 locations across Indonesia.