Prabowo Praises Central Java Provincial Government for Purchasing Electric Buses, Hopes Other Regions Will Follow
Prabowo views the initiative by VKTR company as an important part of national industrialisation, particularly in strategic sectors such as energy and transportation. Prabowo also specifically praised the Central Java regional government, which is said to have ordered dozens of electric buses. He hopes that similar steps will be followed by other regional governments by purchasing domestic products.
“I thank the Governor of Central Java. It is said that the Central Java regional government has already ordered several dozen buses. We hope that other regional governments will also take action and buy products from our nation, products of the Motherland,” said Prabowo in a written statement on Thursday (9/4/2026).
The Chairman of PT VKTR Teknologi Mobilitas Tbk, Anindya Bakrie, stated that the company in Magelang has a production capacity of 3,000 units of electric buses and trucks per year, with potential expansion to 10,000 units per year.
According to him, this capacity is an initial step to enter the large national commercial vehicle market, with a bus population of around 280,000 units and trucks reaching 6.5 million units. Anindya also assessed that the electrification of commercial vehicles will have a significant economic impact.
“If all buses and trucks are electrified into electric vehicles, this could save Indonesia around $5 billion per year from fuel subsidies,” said Anindya.
Anindya added that the development of electric buses and trucks is not just about the company’s business, but part of the revival of the local electric-based automotive industry. He said that VKTR is also continuing to increase the use of domestic components, with a Domestic Component Level (TKDN) achievement of 40 percent in 2025 and a target approaching 60 percent this year.
The presence of the assembly facility in Magelang is also expected to strengthen the electric vehicle ecosystem in Central Java. In addition to opening opportunities for local component industries, this facility is seen as having the potential to become an anchor industry that drives the growth of supporting industries and new investments in the electric vehicle manufacturing sector.
The Central Java Provincial Government itself has prepared various supports for the Battery-Based Electric Motorised Vehicle programme, including the provision of 283 Public Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles (SPKLU) at 179 locations in Central Java and Yogyakarta, PKB and BBNKB incentives, regulations on the use of electric vehicles, and the preparation of skilled manpower through polytechnics, vocational schools, and vocational high schools.
The inauguration was also attended by the State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia, along with the ranks of the Central Java Regional Leadership Coordination Forum.