Public EV Charging Stations Remain Limited, Home Charging Becomes Essential Package for Electric Vehicles

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Amid the increasing adoption of electric vehicles in Indonesia, manufacturers’ strategies to attract consumers go beyond pricing and encompass the completeness of supporting facilities. One aspect drawing attention is the decision by several authorised dealers (APM) not to include home charging devices in the purchase package. Automotive expert Hendra Noor Saleh views this approach as potentially reducing consumer comfort in daily use, although it helps lower the vehicle’s selling price. “If not included, consumers have to consider installation and additional costs again. This can be challenging, especially for new users,” Hendra told Kompas.com on Saturday (25/4/2026). He added that without home charging facilities, users would rely more on public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU). However, access to SPKLU remains limited in certain conditions and is not always practical for daily use. “If every two or three days they have to queue at SPKLU, it can reduce comfort. It’s different if they have home charging, just plug it in at home,” he said. One concern is the strategy of several manufacturers that do not yet include home charging devices in the purchase package for some models. This policy is understood as an effort to keep prices competitive in the market. However, Hendra reminds that this approach needs reconsideration, especially in the context of promoting wider electric vehicle adoption. According to him, ease of charging is one of the important factors in consumers’ decisions to switch to electric vehicles. “Prices are indeed cheaper, but don’t sacrifice comfort aspects. For electric vehicles, the user experience heavily depends on charging convenience,” he stated. He believes that ideally, every electric vehicle purchase should come equipped with a home charging solution, even though installation costs still follow applicable regulations. “Home charging should be standard, not optional,” said Hendra.