Tag: Infrastructure

  • South Korea hands Bali 11 electric buses as Koster seeks free conversions

    South Korea hands Bali 11 electric buses as Koster seeks free conversions

    Top image: Photo: NFarras for Transport for Bandung, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The photo shows a Hyundai County Electric in West Java, the model supplied to Bali.

    Bali has put 11 Korean-funded electric buses on show, and a day later its governor asked South Korea to help with a bigger task: converting petrol vehicles to electric without the owners paying for it.

    The buses and six charging units were handed to the provincial government on Thursday 22 October at Niti Mandala Renon in Denpasar, Kompas reported. The grant comes through the Bali E-Mobility project, a partnership between South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, Indonesia’s national planning ministry (Bappenas) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

    Korean chassis, Indonesian bodies

    According to a Hyundai Motor statement carried by CleanTechnica, the vehicles are Hyundai County EV mid-size buses: 8 metres long, 20 seats, a 128 kWh battery and a claimed range of more than 200 km per charge. Hyundai supplied the electric platforms and the bodies were built by Indonesian coachbuilder Laksana. GGGI ran the supply tender in the second half of 2025, after the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding that year.

    Governor I Wayan Koster said the buses meet Indonesia’s local-content (TKDN) requirements because the bodywork was made in the country, and that he had chosen a black, red and white livery referencing Tri Datu, a symbol closely tied to Balinese culture. When the grant was first announced in April 2025, The Bali Sun reported a figure of 10 buses and said Bali had asked for 8-metre vehicles to suit its narrow roads; the fleet delivered this week numbers 11.

    Hyundai said it will run a field quality-assurance programme during the initial deployment. Neither Kompas nor Hyundai’s statement set out the routes the buses will serve.

    “Studies in Bali show more than 90 percent of air pollution comes from fossil-fuelled power generation and transport.” — Governor I Wayan Koster, to Kompas (translated from Indonesian)

    Free conversions: an aim, not yet a programme

    On Friday 23 October Koster met South Korea’s ambassador to Indonesia, Yoon Soon-gu, at the governor’s residence in Denpasar. Kompas reported that he said the province needs third-party partners willing to convert conventional vehicles to battery power without placing a cost on owners, with cooperation sought on technology, investment and charging infrastructure.

    The talks also covered clean energy, public transport, digital technology, artificial intelligence, waste management and smart-city projects. Yoon pointed to South Korea’s 2050 carbon-neutrality target and offered to put Bali in touch with relevant Korean parties. No company, budget, vehicle type or timetable for a conversion scheme was announced.

    Bali’s EV policy dates back to Governor Regulation 48 of 2019 on battery electric vehicles, which Koster said was held back by the Covid-19 pandemic. He also said the central government has allocated 1,000 MW of solar capacity for Jembrana and Gilimanuk in west Bali, which is still going through permits and is expected to start in 2027.

    What it means for buyers and riders

    • Do not wait for a free conversion. There is no scheme to apply for yet, only a stated goal. If you are weighing a conversion now, our guide to converting a petrol motorbike to electric sets out the current costs and rules.
    • Bali’s charging base is growing. The island already had more than 17,700 EVs on the road earlier this month, as we reported, and PLN is rolling out battery-swap stations for work vehicles.
    • Electric public transport is still small. Eleven buses are a pilot rather than a network; watch for route announcements before planning around them.

    The grant comes in the same week that the electric vehicle association Periklindo called for EV incentives to be extended to electric buses and trucks.

    Sources: Kompas.com (Denpasar), 23 Oct 2026, bus grant; Kompas.com (Denpasar), 23 Oct 2026, conversion talks; CleanTechnica / Hyundai Motor, 22 Oct 2026; The Bali Sun, April 2025.

  • Bali’s EV fleet passes 17,700 as PLN opens charging to private investors

    Bali’s EV fleet passes 17,700 as PLN opens charging to private investors

    Top image: Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Bali now has 17,725 electric vehicles on its roads, made up of about 5,000 cars and more than 12,000 motorbikes, according to figures reported by Antara on 8 October.

    The island had about 14,000 EVs in March 2026 and about 15,000 in July, Antara said. By our own calculation, that is an increase of roughly 3,700 vehicles, or about 27%, in around seven months, with some 2,700 of them added since July.

    About 304 public chargers at 115 locations

    Bali has around 304 public charging units (SPKLU) spread across 115 locations, a total that includes both PLN-run and privately operated sites.

    Ajrun Karim, general manager of PLN’s Bali distribution unit (UID Bali), said the state electricity company is open to private investment in charging. Under the approach he described, PLN would leave high-demand locations to investors and build where investors are not interested. He argued that charging access is no longer a barrier: “Where to charge is no longer an issue, because it is already very easy,” he said (translated from Indonesian).

    Denpasar points to low-emission policy

    Denpasar Deputy Mayor I Kadek Agus Arya Wibawa linked the growth to the city’s own rules, citing Mayor Regulation No. 40/2023 on battery electric vehicles and Regulation No. 39/2025, which created a low-emission zone in Sanur. He presented the push as part of the island’s goal of becoming a higher-quality tourism destination.

    Part of a wider regional trend

    Bali is one of several provinces where PLN has recently reported fast EV growth. This week we covered PLN’s plans for battery-swap stations for electric work vehicles in Klungkung and Nusa Penida, and we have also reported on a 4.5-fold jump in charging use in West Sumatra and EV growth in South Sumatra.

    The Bali figures describe the total fleet on the road, so they cannot be compared directly with national monthly sales data. Still, with motorbikes making up more than two-thirds of the island’s EVs, Bali stands out at a time when national e-motorbike sales have slumped while buyers wait for a government incentive, as our report on September motorbike sales explains.

    What it means for buyers

    For Bali residents and long-stay visitors considering an EV, a public network of about 300 chargers, and PLN’s stated willingness to let private operators expand it, should make day-to-day charging less of a worry than in many other provinces. Most owners still do the bulk of their charging at home; our guide to charging an EV in Indonesia explains SPKLU, home charging and battery swapping. Drivers heading to Sanur should check the local rules for its low-emission zone.

    Sources: Antara News Bali (8 Oct 2026)

  • PLN readies battery-swap stations for electric work vehicles in Bali

    PLN readies battery-swap stations for electric work vehicles in Bali

    Top image: Photo: Hendrojkson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    State electricity company PLN is preparing battery-swap infrastructure in Klungkung regency, Bali, for a pilot fleet of small electric work vehicles run with Korean partners, Antara reported. The trial is due to start this month with five vehicles and is aimed at helping Nusa Penida, the island off Bali’s south-east coast that belongs to Klungkung, become a “green island” by 2030.

    Who is involved

    The project was set up through a memorandum of understanding between PLN’s Bali distribution unit (PLN UID Bali), the Indonesian company PT INAKO Kreta Udhaya, the Korea Smart e-Mobility Association (KEMA) and the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATECH), according to Antara. PLN’s role is to supply the grid connections and electricity for the swap stations.

    Antara named the Korean side’s representatives as Changhyun Jeong, director of KATECH’s Jeonnam division, and Jiyong Song, executive director of KEMA, with Suchang Oh representing PT INAKO. The partners describe the project as a trial of the vehicles in everyday working conditions in Klungkung before any wider rollout across Bali.

    • Stations: battery-swap points at five strategic locations in Klungkung.
    • Vehicles: three-wheeled electric vehicles for waste collection, refrigerated transport and cargo, plus small three- and four-wheeled agricultural vehicles.
    • Timeline: a pilot with five vehicles from October 2026, with plans to expand to more than 30 vehicles across Bali in 2027.

    “PLN UID Bali is fully committed to providing the best support, especially in terms of electricity needs.” – Ajrun Karim, general manager of PLN UID Bali, via Antara (translated from Indonesian)

    Klungkung Regent I Made Satria tied the trial to the regency’s plan for a greener Nusa Penida and to sustainable tourism, OtoDream reported. Cleaner local transport for rubbish collection, farming and goods delivery is presented as one part of that wider environmental push.

    Why swapping suits work vehicles

    Battery swapping has so far been used in Indonesia mostly for electric motorbikes, where riders exchange a flat pack for a charged one in a couple of minutes. The Klungkung pilot applies the same idea to light commercial vehicles. For waste vehicles and delivery tricycles that run all day, swapping avoids long charging stops, and a central station operator can manage battery health and charge during off-peak hours. The trade-off is that vehicles and packs must follow a common standard, which is one reason a small trial fleet makes sense before any scale-up. Our guide to charging an EV in Indonesia covers how swapping works for motorbikes today.

    What it means

    The trial is small, but it is an unusual attempt in Indonesia to use battery swapping for municipal and agricultural vehicles rather than private motorbikes. If it works on Nusa Penida, the model could appeal to other islands and tourist areas where regional governments run their own vehicle fleets. Private buyers will not see a direct effect yet; the more immediate signal is that PLN is willing to back swapping for commercial fleets as well as two-wheelers.

    Related: Bali’s EV fleet passes 17,700 as PLN opens charging to private investors.

    Sources: Antara (1 Oct 2026); OtoDream (4 Oct 2026).

  • West Sumatra EV charging use jumps 4.5-fold as PLN opens Padang hub

    West Sumatra EV charging use jumps 4.5-fold as PLN opens Padang hub

    Top image: Photo: Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Electric vehicle charging in West Sumatra is growing far faster than the province’s small EV fleet might suggest. Charging transactions at public stations in the province rose about 4.5 times in the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, and the electricity delivered through them rose roughly 4.4 times, according to figures presented when state utility PLN opened its first “SPKLU Center” charging hub in Padang on 1 October, Suara.com reported.

    The opening follows a similar hub launched in Palembang, South Sumatra, last month, which we covered in South Sumatra’s EV fleet more than doubles as PLN opens Palembang charging hub. Together they show PLN pushing high-power charging beyond Java as owners start to drive further afield.

    What opened in Padang

    The SPKLU Center sits at PLN’s regional office for Central Sumatra in Padang and was inaugurated by West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah, alongside Andriah Feby Misna, a director at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s electricity directorate, and PLN distribution director Arsyadany Ghana Akmalaputri, Padangkita reported.

    • Five ultra-fast chargers rated at 120 kW each, for a combined 600 kW.
    • According to Suara.com, a typical charge from 20% to 80% takes around 30 to 45 minutes.
    • The province now has 102 public charging stations (SPKLU). Padangkita puts PLN’s share at 90; Suara.com gives 93.

    Twelve more stations planned

    Suara.com reported that 12 new SPKLU locations with a total of 17 charging units are planned across West Sumatra this year, in Padang, Bukittinggi, Payakumbuh and Solok. That would extend fast charging beyond the provincial capital to three of the province’s other main towns.

    Padangkita reported that more than 580 electric vehicles were registered in the province as of August 2026, which officials said works out at roughly one public charging station for every six EVs, well ahead of the 1:17 ratio used as a benchmark. (By our own calculation, 580 vehicles across 102 stations is about 5.7 EVs per station.) Nationally, PLN said it runs more than 3,200 SPKLU handling around 700,000 transactions a month.

    “Switching to electricity is our strategy to achieve Net Zero Emission by 2060, not just in transportation but also households.” – Andriah Feby Misna, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, via Padangkita (translated from Indonesian)

    Governor Mahyeldi linked the hub to West Sumatra’s ambition to become a “Green Province” and said government vehicles will move to electric models. PLN also offered a two-week 50% discount on new connections and power upgrades to coincide with the launch, according to Padangkita.

    What it means for buyers

    For EV owners in West Sumatra, the practical change is a reliable, high-power option in the provincial capital and, if the 12-site plan is delivered, fast charging in Bukittinggi, Payakumbuh and Solok too. The low ratio of cars to chargers means queues should be rare for now, but coverage outside the main towns is still thin, so longer trips across Sumatra still need planning. Our guide to charging an EV in Indonesia explains public SPKLU charging, home charging and battery swapping.

    Sources: Suara.com (5 Oct 2026); Padangkita (Oct 2026).

  • South Sumatra’s EV fleet more than doubles as PLN opens Palembang charging hub

    South Sumatra’s EV fleet more than doubles as PLN opens Palembang charging hub

    Top image: Ampera Bridge, Palembang. Photo: Yogwi21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The number of electric cars in South Sumatra has more than doubled in seven months, according to state utility PLN, which on Friday 25 September opened the province’s first “SPKLU Center” – a cluster of public fast chargers – in the provincial capital, Palembang.

    Figures from PLN’s regional distribution unit for South Sumatra, Jambi and Bengkulu (UID S2JB), reported by Antara, put the number of electric cars in the province at 2,047 in July 2026, up from 849 in December 2025.

    What has opened in Palembang

    The new hub is at PLN’s Rivai customer service office on Jalan Demang Lebar Daun. It adds four new charging units with a combined eight CCS2 connectors rated at 120 kW, alongside two units already on site rated at 120 kW and 180 kW, Listrik Indonesia reported. South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru inaugurated the site.

    Across its three-province service area, PLN UID S2JB says it now runs 87 charging units at 69 public charging station (SPKLU) locations, one mobile charging unit and 40 charging points for electric motorbikes at 40 locations. Antara presents the 87-unit figure as a regional total without spelling out whether it covers South Sumatra alone; Listrik Indonesia attributes it to the whole South Sumatra–Jambi–Bengkulu service area.

    Charging demand is rising faster than the fleet

    Usage of PLN’s chargers in the area has grown even more quickly than car ownership. Charging sessions rose from 1,958 in 2024 to 11,726 in 2025, and had reached 28,176 in 2026 by the end of August. Energy delivered climbed from 44,917 kWh in 2024 to 309,243 kWh in 2025, and to 762,975 kWh by August this year, according to Antara and Listrik Indonesia.

    If the 2026 figures cover this year only, as Listrik Indonesia’s report indicates, eight months of 2026 have already produced roughly 2.4 times as many charging sessions and about 2.5 times as much energy as the whole of 2025 (IndoEVs’ own calculation from the reported figures).

    Diksi Erfani Umar, general manager of PLN UID S2JB, framed the new centre as a response to that demand:

    “The growth of electric vehicles must be matched by the readiness of its infrastructure.” – Diksi Erfani Umar, PLN UID S2JB, via Listrik Indonesia (translated from Indonesian)

    Governor wants a charger in every district

    Governor Deru used the opening to set a much wider goal: at least one charging point in each of South Sumatra’s 241 kecamatan (sub-districts), prioritising those with heavy vehicle traffic, Beritalima reported. No deadline was given. He said PLN is open to working with third parties to host chargers at government and private sites.

    “My hope is that this infrastructure doesn’t stop at the big cities, but reaches into the sub-districts.” – Herman Deru, Governor of South Sumatra, via Beritalima (translated from Indonesian)

    Antara also reported the governor pointing to provincial support for EV owners through vehicle-tax relief, though the report did not give details of the scheme.

    Part of a national pattern

    South Sumatra’s numbers are small next to Greater Jakarta, but they mirror what is happening nationally: EV sales hit a record in August (see our report on Gaikindo’s August figures), and PLN’s charging network has been recording sharp growth in energy use (see PLN’s first-half SPKLU figures). A dedicated fast-charging hub in a regional capital is a sign the network is starting to follow demand beyond Java.

    What it means for buyers

    • In Palembang: a site with several fast chargers lowers the risk of arriving to find the only charger occupied or out of order.
    • Charging speed depends on the car: a 120 kW or 180 kW charger only delivers that power if the car can accept it. Some models, particularly smaller city cars, accept much lower DC charging rates, so check your car’s maximum before planning a trip around a charging stop.
    • Outside the capital: the one-charger-per-district target has no timetable, so buyers in smaller towns should still plan around home charging for now. Our guide to charging an EV in Indonesia explains SPKLU, home charging and battery swapping, and the PLN SPKLU entry in our EV directory lists the network’s details.

    Related: PLN has since opened a similar SPKLU Center in Padang. Read West Sumatra EV charging use jumps 4.5-fold as PLN opens Padang hub.

    Sources: Antara – PLN sebut penggunaan mobil listrik di Sumsel tumbuh dua kali lipat (26 Sept 2026); Listrik Indonesia – Mobil listrik di Sumsel tembus 2.047 unit, PLN buka SPKLU Center; Beritalima – Gubernur Sumsel resmikan SPKLU Center PLN di Palembang (25 Sept 2026)

  • PLN charging use in H1 2026 overtakes all of 2025 as network passes 5,000

    PLN charging use in H1 2026 overtakes all of 2025 as network passes 5,000

    Top image: Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Electricity drawn from Indonesia’s public electric vehicle charging stations in the first half of 2026 exceeded the total for the whole of 2025, according to state utility PLN, which says it is expanding its network and opening it further to private partners in response.

    Usage outpaces last year

    PLN recorded 62.4 million kWh of electricity consumption at public charging stations – known locally as SPKLU (Stasiun Pengisian Kendaraan Listrik Umum) – between January and June 2026, VIVA reported. That compares with 48.5 million kWh for the whole of 2025, meaning six months of charging this year was already about 28% higher than all of last year.

    The network itself has grown more slowly. PLN operated 5,016 SPKLU units at 3,132 locations as of June 2026, according to VIVA and Periskop. Periskop reported that 361 units were added in the first half, from 4,655 at the end of 2025 – a figure PLN also gave in a February press release. Periskop added that average spacing between charging facilities is around 22 km, and that usage during the Ramadan and Idul Fitri travel season was 4.14 times higher than in the same period of 2025.

    PLN’s response

    M. Fahrur Rozy, PLN’s director of retail and commerce, told VIVA that growth in SPKLU consumption had been consistent over the past three years.

    “Public demand for reliable and affordable SPKLU is already our priority in supporting the acceleration of EVs in Indonesia.” – M. Fahrur Rozy, PLN, to VIVA (translated from Indonesian)

    A central part of the utility’s plan is its SPKLU partnership scheme, under which private businesses can take part as landowners, suppliers of charging equipment or operators of charging sites. PLN says it supports partners with simplified procurement, certainty over grid connection, discounted connection fees and a revenue-sharing arrangement. The company is also adding features to its PLN Mobile app, including AntreEV, a digital queuing tool for busy chargers, and a Trip Planner that locates stations along a route.

    A long way to the 2030 target

    The government’s ambitions are considerably larger than today’s network. Ferry Triansyah, electricity services coordinator at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources’ Directorate General of Electricity, told Periskop that there were about 4,892 four-wheel SPKLU units in May 2026, against a target of 62,918 by 2030. Reaching that would require the network to grow more than twelvefold in under five years.

    Demand for charging is being driven by rapid growth in EV sales. Periskop cited figures showing that around 117,000 electrified vehicles were sold in the first half of 2026, up 69.4% year on year, including about 69,000 battery electric vehicles. Electrified models accounted for 26.8% of passenger car sales in that period.

    What it means for EV owners

    For drivers, the figures confirm what many have experienced at busy chargers, particularly on holiday routes: usage is rising faster than the number of plugs. Most EV owners in Indonesia still do the bulk of their charging at home, and home charging is generally the cheapest option. For longer trips, the PLN Mobile app’s queuing and route-planning tools should help reduce waiting times, and the partnership scheme could bring more chargers to shopping centres, hotels and petrol stations. Owners outside Java and Bali, where coverage is thinner, should plan long journeys with care.

    Related on IndoEVs

    Sources: VIVA – PLN Perkuat Infrastruktur EV Respons Melonjaknya Konsumsi Listrik SPKLU; Periskop – Konsumsi SPKLU Tembus 62,4 Juta kWh, PLN Perluas Jaringan; PLN – PLN Operasikan 4.655 SPKLU Sepanjang 2025