Formula E In Ancol Must Be A Pilot For Low Emission Areas

Officers are at the location where the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit (JIEC) will be built in the Ancol Dreamland area, Jakarta, Wednesday (12/22/2021)/Antara

JAKARTA - City planning and environmental observer Nirwono Joga said that the Formula E race, which is planned to be held in Ancol, North Jakarta, should be an impetus to make it a pilot for low-pollution areas.

Moreover, he said, the electric car racing event was indeed a campaign for the use of electric vehicles as an effort to reduce exhaust emission levels in Jakarta.

"I actually see that with the establishment of Formula E in Ancol, we encourage Ancol as a pilot area, which is not only a location for Formula E, but also can see for example Ancol being a low-emissions area," said Nirwono in a virtual discussion in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Thursday, December 30th.

This low emission area, said Nirwono, can be done by making Ancol friendly for cyclists, creating a transportation system in an area that is truly environmentally friendly, such as using electric buses or biogas and turning Ancol into an urban forest area.

"I remember that Mr. Budi Karya Sumadi used to develop an Ecopark. He had a dream to green the Ancol area," he said.

This is also an opportunity to develop as an urban forest. "In fact, maybe later the circuit will have an atmosphere like in the middle of the forest to clarify Ancol's position," he said.

Nirwono hopes that the DKI Jakarta Environmental Service, as a supporter of the DKI Provincial Government's policy to reduce exhaust emissions, will also inform about the benefits of the Formula E racing event.

For Nirwono, Formula E is not just a vehicle race and the construction of the circuit, but what is the initial goal of organizing Formula E to shift society to the use of electric vehicles.

"If we look at the larger framework, the implementation of Formula E is a campaign to use electric vehicles, that's the point," he said.

The DKI Environmental Agency can optimize this activity. "In the context of the use of electric vehicles that are used to reduce carbon emissions," he said.

However, Nirwono does not see a roadmap between the campaign to reduce emissions and the implementation of Formula E.

"For now, there is no such road map from the Environment Agency and Formula E activities, so we encourage it to be in the near future," he said.

Ancol has been officially appointed as the location for the Formula E circuit in Jakarta on June 4, 2022.

"Given the 'approval' (by the International Automotive Federation) the circuit for the implementation of Formula E in Jakarta is in Ancol," said Chief Executive of Formula E Ahmad Sahroni during a press conference, Wednesday (22/12).

Sahroni explained that Ancol was appointed as the location of the Formula E circuit after going through a long study with the Formula E Operations (FEO) as the representative of the international automotive federation (FIA).

Sahroni explained that the reason for choosing Ancol was because the area is a dynamic and iconic place for Jakarta.

Then, the implementation of Formula E in Ancol also does not interfere with other community road infrastructure.

"Ancol is closed for its implementation for a one-day 'event' on June 4, 2022," he said.