Ministry of Social Affairs Considers Purchasing Electric Vehicles for People's Schools

The Ministry of Social Affairs is considering a plan to purchase electric vehicles for people’s schools. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf stated that the budget for purchasing these vehicles is still under internal review within the ministry. “If possible, yes, electric vehicles. But if not possible, then conventional vehicles,” said the man fondly known as Gus Ipul when contacted on Monday night, 6 April 2026. This plan emerged following a new policy on energy conservation. “We will try to procure (electric vehicles). After all, if we have to acquire vehicles, we will certainly prioritise electric ones,” said Gus Ipul. Gus Ipul explained that the use of electric vehicles would be for the operational needs of people’s schools, for example, to transport students to competitions or to take ill students to medical facilities. He stated that this plan for using electric vehicles would likely only be implemented in major cities. This is because not all regions yet have electric vehicle charging stations. Not all areas in Indonesia also have terrain suitable for electric vehicles. Gus Ipul said he also has the opportunity to relocate some of the ministry’s operational vehicles to regional areas. “If necessary, later the vehicles in Jakarta can be moved to several regions,” he said. The vehicles to be relocated, he said, would only be those still using fossil fuels. Thus, Gus Ipul said, vehicles in the central office would be dominated by electric vehicles. “Insha’Allah, we will transform towards electric vehicles or electric motorcycles,” he said. Previously, President Prabowo Subianto had discussed national energy conservation with his ministers. This step was taken to anticipate turmoil in the global energy market amid the war between the United States and Israel against Iran. Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said that the topic of conservation arose in a coordination meeting on follow-up to the president’s directives regarding several economic policies. Several topics discussed, said Airlangga, included the concept of adaptive work-from-home, more targeted budget efficiency, and strengthening the B50 biofuel policy. “Up to proposals for national energy conservation,” said the former Golkar Party chairman in his statement on Sunday, 29 March 2026. Airlangga said that all energy conservation concepts are being comprehensively reviewed, taking into account developments in the Middle East conflict and global uncertainty. “Which impacts energy stability, supply chains, and the national economy,” he said.