Arifin Tasrif, the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, evaluated Pertamina’s Green Energy Station (GES) for general fuel in Denpasar, Bali, which also functions as a general EV battery exchange station, in Denpasar, Bali.
“This is the evolution of motorized vehicles that used to be fueled to become electric, environmentally clean, and efficient. The cost of electricity is also increasingly competitive because now (business entities) are competing to grow their businesses, for example, solar panels are getting cheaper,” minister Arifin Tasrif stated on Tuesday.
In an effort to promote the shift to electric vehicles, he further announced that expenses would increase for drivers who insisted on using fossil fuels, and a carbon tax would likely be implemented in the future. Additionally, the switch to clean and renewable energy in transportation could enhance national efficiency.
He highlighted further that using electric vehicles might benefit drivers compared to fuel-based vehicles by stating, “The cost of fuel, if you use oil fuel is Rp30 thousand per day, but if you use a battery swap it is only Rp10 thousand per day, that for the entire day. Grab has also provided packages such as leasing, so Grab partners pay a fee (for the rental of electric motorbikes of) Rp60 thousand a day. In three years, the motorbike will become the rider’s.”
By the end of 2022, PT Pertamina (Persero) planned to have roughly 300 solar-powered and eco-friendly charging stations, up from the current 240.
Interestingly, Pertamina is currently outlooking the downstream element, beginning with two-wheeled vehicles to support the ecosystem for electric vehicles.
“Our concept is to sell swap batteries to make it easier for motorcyclists, to start with, to (gauge) it,” Nicke Widyawati, the CEO of PT Pertamina, said.
“In Bali, we are collaborating with Grab for the development of this ecosystem. If this ecosystem is built, it will automatically offer convenience to people who will switch to using electric vehicles,” she added.
With a certain push from the Indonesian government and its cooperation with state-owned enterprises such as PT Pertamina will definitely contribute to the electric vehicle transition.
