Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Arifin Tasrif called on state-owned electricity company PLN to further increase the number of public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLUs) along the main routes used by Eid homecoming travelers.
He stated that the company needs to increase the number of SPKLUs, from around 1,200 to five thousand.
“Infrastructure is a prerequisite for people to embark on comfortable long trips. PLN has installed quite a lot of SPKLUs but needs to add more of the stations,” he remarked after inspecting a gas and steam power plant in Gresik, East Java, on Thursday (April 4).
In his ministry’s statement received here on Friday, Tasrif noted that Eid homecomers could cut the consumption of fuel by 60-70 percent by opting for electric cars.
He then underlined the need to install more fast-charging SPKLUs along toll roads to accommodate electric vehicles.
The minister also pushed PLN to collaborate with state-owned gas and oil company Pertamina to create an integrated system of SPKLUs.
“If possible, PLN and Pertamina should work together to reach efficiency through integration,” he remarked.
Currently, a total of 1,124 SPKLUs have been in service, comprising 499 slow-charging stations, 360 medium-charging stations, 110 fast-charging stations, and 155 ultra-fast charging stations.
The EV charging stations are spread across 819 locations, including toll roads and hotels.
Earlier, ESDM Ministry’s Director of Electrical Engineering and Environment Dwi Nugroho stated that the average distance between SPKLUs spans 23 kilometers, while the average travel distance of electric cars reaches 300-350 kilometers.
Taking the comparison between the distances into account, he expressed optimism that EV homecoming travelers would face no issues in reaching charging stations.
