Energy security ambitions drive Indonesia's EV ecosystem development
Nickel downstreaming is a strategic foundation for strengthening energy security, accelerating the transition to clean energy, and building national energy independence.
On a late June day under grey skies, a Chinese-made electric car glided through the streets of Jakarta towards Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport. As light rain began to tap on the car windows, the driver, Juliansyah, broke the silence.
“With this (electric car), you shouldn’t really have to worry (about floods),” Juliansyah said, placing emphasis on the word ‘shouldn’t’.
Although many electric vehicle (EV) drivers have successfully navigated floods, Juliansyah admitted to a sliver of concern about having to do the same. The car he was driving was not his own. It was a rental from the vendor he works for as an online taxi driver. Consequently, if something were to happen and the car got damaged, he would be held responsible and could lose his job.
Continuing the conversation, Juliansyah shared that his fellow online taxi drivers have started switching to electric cars through partnerships with their employers. He believes this approach is more economical than bearing the costs of instalments, taxes, and maintenance for a private vehicle. Furthermore, Juliansyah did not encounter significant difficulties when transitioning from a conventional petrol car to an electric one.
“The only difference is when charging. It takes about an hour. I use that time to rest, to sleep,” Juliansyah said. He typically charges his electric car two to three times a day: once in the morning before starting work, and again in the afternoon or evening.
Juliansyah and his fellow online taxi drivers who have adopted electric vehicles illustrate that a transition is taking place at the grassroots level. This phenomenon signals that, slowly but surely, Indonesians are beginning to show interest in electric cars, especially as the price of fuel oil has proven vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts.