Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Transportation Ministry held an Electric Vehicle Fun Day here on Sunday to encourage a massive use of electric vehicles in Indonesia since they could be 75 percent more economical than conventional vehicles.
"Currently, there are many electric vehicles which look cool; use clean and environmentally friendly energy; as well as are more economical than (using) vehicles with fossil fuel (BBM)," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi stated.
If people usually spend Rp100,000 a day to buy fuel for their conventional vehicles, meanwhile the consumption of electric vehicles only costs around Rp25,000 per day, he noted.
Apart from being more economical, another advantage of using electric vehicles is that the government is preparing more charging facilities and incentives for users of electric vehicles.
Related news: Indonesia, Turkey ink pact to make electric buses, build toll road
Several ministries and agencies have been discussing the provision of the incentives, such as tax relief, discounts on home electricity cost, and free parking fee.
Furthermore, the minister said that the government has also readied several other strategies to increase the use of electric vehicles in Indonesia, such as requiring the ministries, agencies, and local governments to utilize electric vehicles.
The government also encouraged the use of electric vehicles in mass transportation, namely buses, taxi cabs, and online motorcycle taxis; as well as the establishment of vehicle charging stations and battery swap stations.
Regarding the instructions for using electric vehicles as official transports for the central and regional governments, Sumadi stated that the officials could rent the vehicles, thus they did not need to buy the transports in the midst of limited state and regional budget.
Related news: PLN seeks to mitigate potential power issues ahead of G20 Summit
“God willing, it can be a solution for the ministries/institutions (in providing the electric vehicles)," he continued.
Furthermore, his party will conduct standardization of electric vehicle battery, thus people can still use the batteries provided at the swap stations although they have different brands with the initial batteries used by the vehicles.
He added that the government is committed to developing electric vehicle ecosystem through the issuance and implementation of various regulations and policies.
The Transportation Ministry frequently holds exhibitions, electric vehicle touring, and other community activities in collaboration with various stakeholders to promote the electric vehicle use.
Related news: Australian CEOs urged to support electric battery industry development
Related news: EVs at G20 Summit drive home energy transition agenda
