Ready For All Out, PLN Signs Cooperation With Grab And Electric Vehicle Manufacturers

JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) is collaborating with 14 electric vehicle manufacturers and Grab Indonesia to support the clean energy transition by maximizing the use of electric vehicles in the country.

This collaboration was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between PLN and seven electric car manufacturers, namely Hyundai, Nissan, DFSK, Toyota, Wuling, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz.

In addition, there are also seven other electric motorcycle manufacturers, namely, Hyundai Kefico, Gesits, TVS, Smoot Motor Indonesia, Tangkas, Volta and Viar.

The signing was carried out on the sidelines of the PLN E-Mobility Day event which was held at Level 21 Mall Denpasar, Bali.

This collaboration includes bundling electric vehicle packages with home charging services from PLN to collaboration in building a General Electric Vehicle Charging Station (SPKLU) and General Electric Vehicle Battery Exchange Station (SPBKLU) as well as a Joint Study to formulate strategic steps for the development of the KBLBB ecosystem in Indonesia.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo said the energy transition needed to be accelerated to achieve the carbon neutral target in 2060 and reduce Indonesia's dependence on imported fuel oil (BBM).

One of them is by increasing the use of electric vehicles based on domestic energy, cheap and environmentally friendly.

"To create an electric vehicle ecosystem, we must collaborate. Today is a milestone in realizing national energy security and helping save state finances due to the increasing import of fuel," he said in an official statement, Monday, July 25.

Through electric vehicle packages with home charging services, electric vehicle buyers from Hyundai, Nissan, Wulling, DFSK and ATPM who work together can find it easier to get electricity facilities.

Customers no longer need to be confused about charging their electric vehicles, because home charging is already provided in a bundling package with the purchase of a car.

PLN officers will come to the customer's house to carry out the execution of power adjustments needed at home and help install home charging for free.

After that, it is directly connected to the PLN system so that customers can monitor electricity usage for home charging in the PLN Mobile application.

"This collaboration also includes the integration of our digital system, joint research and data exchange. We can maximize the strategic plan to maximize this electric vehicle for collaboration," said Darmawan.

Not only that, PLN also provides a 30 percent discount on electricity rates for users who do home charging between 22.00-05.00.

Considering the power required for home charging is around 7,700 watts, PLN makes it easy for customers who want to add power.

With Rp. 150,000, the power can be increased to 11,000 Volt Ampere.

Meanwhile, to make it easier for electric vehicle users while driving, continued Darmawan, PLN has currently built 139 SPKLU units spread throughout Indonesia. This number will certainly continue to grow with the incessant collaboration of PLN with various parties.

PLN has also alerted 35,000 technical service officers in the field to provide optimal service to customers, including owners of electric vehicles.

"We will go all out to support it, because the electric car charges it from PLN. So for every sale of an electric car, I thank you," he said.

In addition to the 14 electric vehicle manufacturers, PLN also cooperates with Grab Indonesia, which has been a major player in providing electricity-based public transportation services.

The collaboration between PLN and Grab Indonesia is strengthened in this agreement to accelerate the provision of EV Charging Stations that can be used with both PLN and Grab Indonesia.

"We are ready to support the operation of 6,000 Grab motorbikes with reliable electricity supply," he explained.

Darmawan believes that this collaboration can accelerate the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.

"In addition to accelerating the provision of infrastructure, this manufacturing industry cooperation can also benefit both parties. PLN has 82.3 million electricity customers who can become a new market for the electric vehicle industry," added Darmawan.

The Director of Engineering and Environment of the Directorate General of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Priharto Dwinugroho, appreciated PLN's steps in improving the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.

According to him, collaborative steps with the government, SOEs, and the private sector are needed to accelerate the achievement of the energy transition target.

He emphasized that the government fully supports the involvement of the private sector by issuing regulations that make it easier for business actors to invest in electric vehicles in Indonesia.

"We fully appreciate PLN and we as the government have also issued regulations that can increase the interest of business actors to invest in Indonesia. Currently we are working on regulations to make it easier for PLN and the private sector to increase SPKLU and SPBKLU in Indonesia. We are also preparing various incentives to can make investment more competitive," said Dwi.

Country Managing Director Grab Indonesia, Neneng Goenadi explained, collaboration with various stakeholders, including with PLN, is crucial to encourage the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country.

“The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Grab and PLN is one of our concrete steps in realizing our mission to achieve the carbon neutral target. With the addition of the number of SPBKLU in six provinces on the islands of Java and Bali, we hope that the adoption of electric vehicles will also increase,” concluded Neneng.

PLN continues to open collaborations with various parties in encouraging the growth of the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.

This step is taken as an effort to transition to domestic and clean energy.