The number of electric vehicles, particularly battery-powered passenger cars, in Indonesia has increased. According to data from the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin), the country has 223,100 electric cars. However, the expansion of the electric vehicle fleet has not been matched by the availability of charging infrastructure.

Data from the PLN Mobile application shows that there are currently around 5,030 charging units at Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) across Indonesia. This equates to approximately 44 electric cars for every charging unit, with queues at SPKLU becoming more common, particularly during intercity travel.

Different rates based on charging capacity

An electric vehicle activist from the EV Holic community and a BYD M6 user, said long queues at SPKLU are often caused by users' lack of understanding of their vehicles' charging power specifications.

"As affordable electric cars become more common, people are becoming increasingly reluctant to take them out of town," activist said when contacted by the media recently.

He said many owners of electric cars with lower charging capacities queue at ultra-fast chargers with capacities ranging from 160 kW to 350 kW, despite their vehicles supporting lower maximum charging power.

"They're competing with affordable electric cars that charge slowly. Atto's maximum capacity is only 88 kW, but they're competing with EVs with 160 kW or 350 kW capacity," he said.

Activist proposed that PLN introduce different tariffs based on the power output of charging machines. He said charging at machines with capacities of 160 kW and above should have different rates from lower-power chargers.

"Because the SPKLU system is lacking, we have to use different system for charging. That way, cars with long charging times and cars with short charging times will have different rates," he said.

He also referred to the enforcement measures currently being implemented, including fines for vehicles that remain parked after their batteries have been fully charged.

Technical problems with charging applications are another issue reported by users travelling long distances. A Chery Omoda E5 user since 2024, said problems with charging systems and applications can affect access to public charging facilities, particularly at toll road rest areas.

"The downside is that the infrastructure sometimes has problems charging, especially in public places like rest areas. The app is often problematic, especially at PLN's SPKLU," E5 user said.

Responding to these complaints, Gregorius Adi Trianto, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications & TJSL at PLN Persero, said PLN is increasing the number of charging infrastructure facilities and updating its digital services through the PLN Mobile application. PLN has also introduced the AntreEV feature to manage queues at charging locations.

"Through this feature, users can monitor the queue conditions at SPKLU in real time before deciding on a charging location. Upon arrival at the designated SPKLU location, users can digitally take a queue number and monitor their queue number and estimated waiting time for charging," Gregorius said.

The increase in electric vehicle numbers is expected to require corresponding improvements in charging infrastructure, digital services and information for users regarding charging procedures and vehicle charging capabilities.