Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Still Concentrated in Java and Bali

The Indonesian government is intensifying its campaign to promote the use of electric vehicles to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. However, supporting infrastructure, such as public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLUs), is not yet evenly distributed across Indonesia.

This is evident from data from Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), processed by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR). Overall, SPKLUs have increased threefold from the previous year, with a total of 570 stations installed. However, this number is still approximately 20% below the government's target.

"Nevertheless, SPKLUs are not well-distributed, with over 88% located in Java and Bali," wrote the IESR research team in their report titled Indonesia Electric Vehicle Outlook (IEVO) 2023.

The team noted that Jakarta and Bali have the highest number of SPKLUs compared to other regions. A major driver of SPKLU installation was the G20 summit, whose official vehicles were electric.

"As a result, besides Jakarta as the capital city, many SPKLUs are found in Bali, where the G20 event was held. Except for these areas, the number of SPKLUs is relatively low," the team wrote.

According to the attached data, the entire island of Sumatra only accounts for 5.6% of the total installed SPKLUs, Sulawesi 2.6%, and Kalimantan 2.3%.

Quoting Foster's research, the team stated that the government's initiated strategy for implementing charging infrastructure could be 4-7 times more cost-effective than offering incentives to consumers to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.

This is because each type of charger serves different consumer needs. In Jakarta, almost 50% of charging stations are slow chargers.

Meanwhile, fast-charging stations are operated by companies under state-owned enterprises (BUMNs) and are located near their facilities, far from areas that need them most, such as highways or toll roads.

"Therefore, a strategic implementation plan is needed to optimize SPKLU investment," the team wrote.

(See also: High Prices and Battery Charging Issues: Obstacles to Electric Vehicle Adoption in Indonesia)