PT PLN (Persero) asked the government to make additional policies to accelerate the electric car ecosystem so that it can be accepted by the wider community. Zulkifli Zaini, President Director of PLN, said that his party is optimistic that electric cars will provide many benefits for Indonesia, so a more attractive policy is needed to buy electric cars compared to conventional cars. "We are grateful that the PPnBM tax on electric cars has been abolished, but there are two other taxes, namely VAT and PPH that are enjoyed by fossil cars which currently do not have electric cars," he said in an official statement, quoted on Sunday (11/21/2021). For PLN, he said, the transition from the automotive sector to electrical energy would not only increase electricity demand when there was a surplus of electricity supply.

Electric cars are also proven to be superior to conventional cars to be able to move towards a greener and brighter Indonesia in the future. He explained that the carbon emission of electric cars is only 50 percent compared to conventional cars, even though the electricity comes from the power plant. In addition, the source of energy for electric cars is also obtained not from imported products, so it is very supportive of Indonesia's economic growth. In addition, a road test of electric cars that was carried out directly by the board of directors of PLN some time ago also proved the savings that can be obtained by the community by using electric cars. In the road test, electric car drivers only need to spend Rp. 10,000 to cover a distance of 72 kilometers. When compared with the use of fuel oil (BBM), for the same distance, people have to spend around Rp. 60,000, assuming the price of fuel is Rp. 9,000 per liter. By using electric cars, the government can reduce the current account deficit (CAD) or the current account deficit which continues to be eroded by imports of crude oil. Moreover, currently PLN has a reserve margin of 35 percent.

"With such a high reserve margin, electric cars might be able to help in terms of the current account deficit," he said. Responding to the proposal, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto stated that the government would continue to encourage the transportation sector to shift from fossil-based vehicles to Battery-Based Electric Motorized Vehicles (KBLBB). Airlangga admitted that electric cars, which have a selling price that is 30 percent higher than the price of conventional cars, are a challenge. "Indeed, in terms of price, EV [Electric Vehicle] is 30-40 percent more expensive compared to ICE [Internal Combustion Engine] cars," he said. On the other hand, continued Airlangga, President Joko Widodo also encouraged vehicles circulating in Indonesia as much as possible to be environmentally friendly or have low emissions. In addition to KBLBB, the government is also still looking at the development of hydrogen energy-based vehicle technology. "So that technology is not something static, because in the future technology will continue to develop," he said.

Sources: https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20211121/44/1468454/harga-masih-mahal-pln-minta-pemerintah-keluarkan-kebijakan-menarik-untuk-mobil-listrik