Eid al-Fitr 1447 H Homecoming: PLN's SPKLU Transactions Break Record, Quadrupling

The trend in electric vehicle (EV) usage in Indonesia shows a significant surge. PT PLN (Persero) recorded the highest daily transaction peak for public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) on Monday (23/3), or H+2 of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah. On that single day, the number of charging transactions reached 18,088, with total energy consumption amounting to 427,980 kWh. This figure jumped sharply to 4.15 times the mudik period of the previous year, which only recorded 4,360 transactions and 103,010 kWh. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia views this achievement as concrete evidence of the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem, supported by the acceleration of infrastructure construction. “Compared to last year, it’s not as massive now. Electric cars wouldn’t be numerous without building the SPKLU infrastructure,” Bahlil stated during his inspection of the SPKLU at Rest Area KM 519B, Sragen, on Thursday (26/3). In agreement, PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo stated that the high transaction numbers reflect increasing public trust in the reliability of EV infrastructure, even for long-distance journeys. “More than just numbers, this achievement shows that the SPKLU development strategy is able to boost public confidence in using electric vehicles, including for long-distance travel,” Darmawan remarked. To date, PLN along with partners has prepared 4,769 SPKLU units at 3,097 locations across Indonesia. In addition to physical infrastructure, PLN also relies on digital features through the PLN Mobile application. Features such as Trip Planner help homecomers map SPKLU locations along the route, while the AntreEV feature allows users to monitor queues in real-time. To speed up transactions on the Trans-Java route, PLN is now implementing the EV-TAP system based on electronic card payments. “Thus, the charging process becomes faster and more practical,” Darmawan concluded.