Research: Electric Vehicle Growth In Indonesia Depends On Battery Charging Infrastructure

Media gathering with Populix. (Photo: Afrizal VOI)

JAKARTA - As a country with a large population and high transportation needs, Indonesia has seen significant growth in electric vehicle adoption in recent years. However, the issue of battery prices and charging infrastructure is the biggest obstacle for the development of this industry.

The latest research from Populix involving 350 male and female respondents aged 17-45 years in Jakarta, and taking place from March 15 to 25, 2024, shows a number of major challenges.

According to research entitled 'Electric Vehicle Dynamics: Unveiling Consumer Respectives and Market Insights', 65 percent of respondents are concerned about the remaining batteries during travel, 61 percent mention limited travel capacity, and 49 percent feel that not all workshops receive repairs even though the damage is non-electric. In addition, 43 percent of respondents mentioned limited charging infrastructure, and 42 percent stated that the location of charging stations is still small and tend to be far away as a challenge in using electric vehicles.

Populix CEO & Co-Founder, Dr. Timothy Astandu, stated that collaboration between regulators and EV manufacturers is essential to overcome challenges such as accessibility, travel distance, costs, and availability of charging infrastructure. This is crucial for the integration of electric vehicles in consumer daily mobility.

"The synergy between regulators and EV manufacturers is the key to encourage wider adoption of electric vehicles and increase the growth of this industry in Indonesia," added Dr. Astandu at a media gathering event in Bale Nusa, South Jakarta, Thursday, June 6.

Populix research also revealed the dynamics of using electric vehicles in Indonesia. As many as 59 percent of respondents felt that electric vehicle charging was the most comfortable at home, while only 15 percent used public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU). The most popular electric vehicle battery exchange location was at the official brand location (78 percent), followed by a 42 percent public electric vehicle battery exchange station (SPBKLU).

The frequency of using SPKLU or SPBKLU varies, with 55 percent of respondents charging in that place at least once a week, and a small part even using it every day.

VP of Research Populix, Indah Tanip, explained that currently the purchase of electric vehicles is still driven by promotional programs. "The form of promotion that consumers like the most includes special discounts from producers such as discounted prices or cashback (65 percent), battery or unit guarantees (65 percent), government subsidies in the form of direct discounts or incentives (57 percent), as well as special package offers over a certain period (43 percent)," said Indah.