PEVS 2026 closes with 35,257 visitors as activists grade carmakers

Top image: Polytron G3+ electric SUV. Photo: Turbo Time 6, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Periklindo Electric Vehicle Show (PEVS) 2026 closed at JIExpo Kemayoran in Jakarta on Sunday 1 November, with organisers reporting 35,257 visitors over four days. The figure was counted at 15:00 WIB, three hours before the doors shut, so the final tally may be slightly higher, Antara and Jawa Pos reported.

The closing day also brought a reminder that the electric transition has critics as well as customers: a civil-society coalition used the show to hand carmakers a symbolic “report card” on their supply chains.

Visitors, exhibitors and deals

According to Antara, 45 exhibitors took part, spanning car and motorbike brands and the wider supply industry. Names on the floor included BYD, Chery, Hyundai, MG, VinFast, Wuling, Alva, Polytron, Selis and United E-Motor, while Transjakarta, MRT Jakarta and LRT Jakarta also had stands. Visitors could test-drive cars and test-ride motorbikes inside the venue, and cashback of up to Rp200 million was offered on purchases of two- and four-wheel EVs. (We covered the opening-day market data in PEVS 2026 opens as battery EVs reach 16.88% of the car market, and the motorbike price cuts in our report on Honda, Polytron and United discounts.)

Periklindo chairman Moeldoko said the attendance showed a positive public response to EVs, praising visitors’ “enthusiasm that did not fade from the first day to the closing” (translated from Indonesian), as quoted by Jawa Pos. Rumpoko Hadi, director of co-organiser Dyandra Promosindo, said the numbers reflected growing interest in electric vehicles.

Neither organiser published a transaction total at the close. Back in May, Moeldoko told Antara the show was targeting Rp500 billion in sales; the same report said the previous edition attracted more than 40,000 visitors. On those figures, this year’s provisional attendance is roughly 12% lower (our calculation), although the comparison is not like-for-like because the 2026 count stopped before closing time.

Activists’ “report card” for carmakers

On the final day, the Just EV coalition, which includes the groups Satya Bumi, CERAH and Enter Nusantara, unfurled a banner at the show reading “Automaker Accountability Report Card”, Suara.com reported. Citing analysis by the international campaign Lead the Charge, the coalition said 18 major carmakers each scored below 50% on supply-chain environmental impact, support for climate policy, and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and workers. Suara did not list the brands or their individual scores. Lead the Charge’s 2026 leaderboard, published in March, put even its top-ranked company, Tesla, just under 50% overall, Ford Authority noted.

The coalition’s concerns centre on battery minerals. It linked nickel and cobalt mining to pollution and land conflicts in West Papua, North Maluku, Central Sulawesi and North Kalimantan, and pointed to the heavy reliance of nickel processing on coal-fired power, an issue we examined in our report on captive coal at nickel parks. It also argued that hybrids, which still burn fuel, keep adding to transport emissions.

“The transition we want is not merely a change of technology.” Tamimah Ashilah, Satya Bumi (translated from Indonesian), via Suara.com

Agung Budiono, executive director of CERAH, said EV makers should set standards for raw materials produced without fossil energy, while Enter Nusantara coordinator Reka Maharwati said the report card voiced young people’s concerns about green claims in the energy transition.

What it means for buyers

• Show discounts may linger: dealers often extend exhibition offers for a short time after a show ends. If you missed PEVS, ask whether the show price or cashback is still available before paying list price.
• Battery chemistry and sourcing are becoming a talking point: as policy debates over nickel versus LFP batteries continue, expect more questions about where battery materials come from. Buyers who care can ask brands for their supply-chain or sustainability disclosures.
• Compare brands in one place: many PEVS exhibitors, including Polytron, are listed in our EV directory for Indonesia.

Sources: Antara (2 Nov 2026); Jawa Pos; Antara (22 May 2026); Suara.com; Ford Authority