Pertamina NRE And A Subsidiary Of Bakrie Agree To Develop E-Mobility As A Service For Electric Vehicles In Indonesia

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Pertamina New & Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE) and its subsidiaries from the Bakrie Group, PT VKTR Mobility Technology Tbk (VKTR), have agreed on sustainable initiatives in the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.

Pertamina NRE and VKTR announced their strategic partnership in accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in Indonesia through e-Mobility as a Service (e-MaaS) to support the decarbonization of Indonesia's transportation sector through the signing of the Joint Development Agreement on March 15, 2024, and the signing ceremony on March 26, 2024 was held at Grha Pertamina, Jakarta.

The signing was carried out by Gilarsi W. Setijono, CEO of VKTR and CEO of Pertamina NRE, John Anis, and witnessed by the President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Nicke Widyawati, CEO of Group Bakrie, Anindya Bakrie, Vice President Director of Group Bakrie, A. Ardiansyah Bakrie and Chairman of the Archipelago Capital Authority, Bambang Susantono.

John Anis said that public transportation infrastructure investment currently still relies on government funds. However, e-MaaS offers flexible financing options for the operation and maintenance of electric buses, thereby reducing the government's budget burden.

In addition, this e-MaaS vision will not only be about vehicles, but will also develop infrastructure development such as charging stations and renewable energy sources, and other crucial things to maintain a sustainable transportation ecosystem.

"VKTR and Pertamina NRE will later form a joint venture (JV) that will provide electric vehicles for the needs of Transjakarta or other companies in need," he said, Wednesday, March 27.

John added, by providing adequate capital expenditure (capex), later Transjakarta or companies that need only pay rent or pay rupiah per kilometer to use to this JV.

John said this would certainly greatly relieve customers, especially Transjakarta, who need a large fleet in the future.

"This partnership will in the early stages focus on buses as mass transportation, but in the end it can develop to commercial vehicle segments such as trucks and other vehicles," John continued.

Designed for ease of implementation, he continued, e-MaaS opens opportunities for VKTR to support entities such as TransJakarta and the capital city of Nusantara in developing the infrastructure needed for widespread electric vehicle adoption.

Just so you know, currently, Indonesia operates more than 260,000 registered bus units representing a total market of around 50 billion US dollars. The target of this JV is to reach the sales figure of 10,000 units of electric vehicles by 2030.

"Thus, the transition from the CAPEX model to an operational expenditure model (opex) will accelerate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in Indonesia," he continued.

Meanwhile, the CEO of VKTR, Gilarsi W. Setijono expressed his enthusiasm for this partnership. According to him, this collaboration marks a historic moment in our journey towards a sustainable transportation solution.

"The EV adoption in Indonesia is still in its early stages, VKTR is committed to providing financial solutions that make it easier to facilitate comprehensive EV infrastructure, transfer the CAPEX model to the OPEX model, and significantly contribute to the Indonesian economy through e-MaaS. Together with PNRE, we are ready to revolutionize the EV landscape in Indonesia and pave the way for a greener and environmentally aware future," concluded Gilarsi.