PLN Boss Claims Electric Consumption Of Electric Vehicles During Nataru Skyrocketed To 500 Percent

SPKLU PLN (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - PT PLN (Persero) continues to record a record spike in energy consumption of electric vehicles during the Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025 (Nataru) periods.

PLN President Director, Darmawan Prasodjo said, this surge was reflected in the electricity consumption at the Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station (SPKLU) which increased 500 percent at this time when compared to the same period in the previous year.

The number of electric vehicles going home has increased by 300 percent, or three times. Meanwhile, the number of electricity consumption in SPKLU has increased more than five times. This is an extraordinary spike," said Darmawan, quoted on Thursday, January 2.

Darmo detailed, in the Nataru period last year, electricity consumption at SPKLU reached 139,335 kilowatt hour (kWh), while at this time it has jumped to 706,579 kWh or more than 500 percent.

Not only that, the spike also occurred in the number of transactions at SPKLU which increased from 6,712 transactions in Nataru the previous year to 29,237 in the current period or jumped more than 430 percent.

Previously, the number of electric vehicles used for homecoming was around 2,800 units. This year, the number is estimated to have jumped to more than 7,500 to 8,000 units. Thank God, so far there have been no reports of electric vehicles running out of power in the middle of the trip," added Darmawan.

Previously, PLN had projected an increase in the number of travelers using electric vehicles and took anticipatory steps by continuing to add SPKLU to 3,069 units spread over 2,906 strategic locations throughout Indonesia.

Especially on the main route for the Trans Java-Sumatra homecoming, PLN also provides 500 SPKLU units in 297 locations. With an optimal distance between SPKLUs, about 23 kilometers, travelers can easily access charging facilities.

Even though there has been a significant increase, so far there have been no reports of long queues at the SPKLU during the Nataru period. This is thanks to the increase in the number of SPKLUs on the Trans Java-Sumatra route from 64 units to 500 units in strategic locations, especially in rest areas," Darmawan explained.

PLN ensures that the journey of electric vehicle travelers runs smoothly with the presence of SPKLU infrastructure and digital infrastructure. Through the trip planner feature in the PLN Mobile application, users can easily find the nearest SPKLU location and plan their journey better without worrying about running out of power in the middle of the trip.

In addition, as many as 6,000 PLN officers are also on standby at each SPKLU throughout the country to ensure comfort and security during the Nataru holiday period. This support is expected to provide a comfortable travel experience for all electric vehicle users.

"We hope that travelers, especially electric vehicle users, can reach their destination safely and comfortably. PLN will continue to strive to provide the best service to support smooth trips for all people," concluded Darmawan.