Minister Of Transportation: Air Pollution Can Be Pressured With Massive Use Of Electric Vehicles

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation)

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi hopes that the use of electric vehicles, especially for public transportation in Indonesia, can continue to increase, in order to suppress air pollution.

"One thing that is no less important is that the level of air pollution in Indonesia can also be suppressed by the massive use of electric vehicles," Budi said as quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, July 21.

The Minister of Transportation hopes that the use of electric vehicles in the future can continue to increase, as more and more choices of vehicles are marketed.

That way, green and sustainable transportation in the country can be realized quickly.

He appreciated the implementation of GIIAS 2024 which has presented a variety of electric vehicles, both cars, motorbikes, and buses, which are environmentally friendly. The Minister of Transportation also visited several electrical vehicle booths in a number of exhibition areas.

Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation also spurs the battery ecosystem for electric vehicles to be developed domestically.

The reason is, the price of batteries for this vehicle is quite high, which is around 30-40 percent of the price of electric vehicles.

"In addition to importing batteries from other countries, our job is to conduct comprehensive research. Therefore, the government has collaborated with universities to be able to create more economical and long-lasting electric vehicle batteries," said the Minister of Transportation.

The Minister of Transportation appreciated all parties who have participated and supported the holding of this large-scale automotive exhibition.

He also hopes that this event can spur the independence of the automotive industry nationally and strengthen Indonesia's position in the international arena, so that in the end it can increase the country's foreign exchange.

The government has issued various regulations and policies to support the acceleration of the Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicle (KBLBB) program for road transportation.

The support provided by the Ministry of Transportation is through a fiscal incentive policy for type test rates and Type Test Certificate rates, both for new KBLBB and converted vehicles.

On that occasion, the Minister of Transportation also invited the public to use public transportation to continue to increase along with the presence of more quality buses.

In general, I think the buses on display at GIIAS 2024 are very good, complete with interesting features. I hope this condition can encourage people to switch to using public transportation, be it urban public transportation or inter-city transportation," he said.

According to him, most Indonesians are basically very happy and enthusiastic about the existence of buses that look good and attractive.