(Photo: PLN)
Charging infrastructure is the key to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Indonesia’s state electricity company (PLN) is transforming electricity poles into public EV charging stations. After the successful operation of three stations in Jakarta in early January, an additional 2,000 poles will be converted into EV charging stations this year, aiming to boost public confidence in using electric vehicles.
PLN to repurpose millions of poles
The Chairman of the state-owned electricity company, Darmawan Prasodjo, stated that they plan to utilize millions of electricity poles across the country to establish public EV charging stations. These existing structures can accelerate the installation process for PLN and significantly reduce costs.
PLN aims to build 2,000 pole-mounted public EV charging stations this year. This includes installing the charging stations in public areas and providing parking spaces. So far, the company has used the traffic data and electricity pole location data to initially target the Jakarta and Bekasi area for installation, with plans to continue expanding to other regions outside the Java Island.
Darmawan Prasodjo, chairman of PLN, stated that they plan to use millions of poles nationwide for public EV charging. (Photo: Darmawan Prasodjo)
Diverse brands enter Indonesian market
Southeast Asia, benefiting from a demographic dividend, has become a fiercely contested market for EV manufacturers in recent years. In Indonesia, the number of electric vehicles has already exceeded 1.44 million, ranging from motorcycles, cars, bus, and trucks with brands from South Korea, Japan, and China.
GAC Aion, the subsidiary of China’s GAC Group, plans to launch the family-friendly Aion Y Plus model in the Indonesian market in July. Additionally, the company aims to set up an assembly plant and introduce 2 to 3 new models annually, with a goal of launching 7 models in Indonesia within the next three years.
To expand Indonesia’s electric vehicle market, the related charging infrastructure also needs to keep pace. According to data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the country had over 2,700 units of EV charging infrastructure last year. This included 1,722 public electric vehicle battery exchange stations (SPBKLU) and 911 public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU).
Source: CNBC Indonesia, Kompas, JakartaGlobe.ID
