The development of pure electric cars other than hybrid cars still has many problems in Indonesia. Therefore, it will take more time to develop them.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has stated that he will encourage the use of electric buses as a mode of public transport particularly in urban areas.

The operator of TransJakarta plans to utilize electric buses which are environmentally friendly, he said during a discussion in Jakarta on Friday. However, the operator did not elaborate on when and how he intended to do so, he added.

Besides buses, other public transportation modes such as taxis are also exploring the use of electric vehicles, he said without elaborating on which operator was likely to implement the electric car program.

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Meanwhile, Chief of the Indonesian Motor Vehicle Producers Association (Gaikindo) Johannes Nangoi revealed a number of bottlenecks that prevented the development of electric cars in Indonesia.

"The development of pure electric cars other than hybrid cars still has many problems in Indonesia. Therefore, it will take more time to develop them," he said.

One of the main obstacles is the distance that electric cars will have to travel within a certain period of time on one battery charge. It takes more time to travel from one city to another in Indonesia.

"If the car runs out of power it needs time to recharge the battery. The number of charging stations is very limited," he said.

The availability of charging stations remains the main stumbling block in the development of electric cars capable of travelling from one city to another, he said.

Also, since the production cost of an electric car in Indonesia is still high, its selling price will also be high, he said.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo had said he wanted to build the electric car industry as a leap of progress along with the development of non-fossil fuels.

The electric car industry is one form of the leap of progress that the country must pursue from now on, he said.

The leap of progress starts from the use of a 20 percent biodiesel blend (B20) which will be raised to 30 percent biodiesel blend (B3), the President added.

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Translator: Afut Syafril Nursyirwan/Suhart
Editor: Sri Haryati
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