The electric vehicles used for the G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022 are currently being sold at a discounted price or allocated for other government needs. Indonesia has committed to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy by using electric vehicles – cars, motorcycles and buses – for the event’s mobility needs.
Around 800 electric cars were used to serve the heads of state and their delegations during the event. Most of the electric vehicles’ status are ‘borrow-use’, which are returned to the manufacturers after the G20 Summit ended.
South Korea car producer Hyundai provided the most cars for the event comprising of 131 Genesis Electrified G80 and 262 Ioniq 5 Signature. Wuling lent 300 Air EVs while Toyota lent 143 cars consisting of 41 bZ4X units dan 102 units of Lexus UX 300e. Hyundai and Wuling produced their cars in Indonesia, while Toyota imported its cars.
Due to security reasons, several heads of state preferred to use their own bulletproof cars tailored to suit their needs and standards. For example, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, used the renowned Cadillac One, also known as “The Beast”. Chinese President Xi Jinping uses the Hongqi N701 and several other heads of state used Mercedes-Benz and Toyota bulletproof cars.
Usage after G20
Most of electric vehicles have been returned to the respective car dealers to be sold at a discounted price or to be allocated towards other government’s needs. Wuling is selling their used electric cars with a IDR 20 million discount, with the same warranty as provided to new units. While Hyundai’s Genesis G80 are sold at the price range of around IDR 3 billion to IDR 5 billion.
Some electric vehicles are allocated to other government’s needs, according to the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 7/2022. Some electric cars will serve official vehicles for government agencies. The use of electric vehicles will start with government offices in Jakarta and Bali, before being followed by other areas that already have the necessary facilities for electric vehicles, especially charging stations. Two units of the used G20 Bali Patrol Cars are shipped to Surakarta, Central Java, and currently under test and trial.
The Red and White Electric Buses will serve major cities of Bandung (West Java), Surabaya (East Java), and Denpasar (Bali). This step is carried out through the buy-the-service (BTS) program from the Ministry of Transportation and state-owned bus operator DAMRI will operate the buses.
Rising market for electric vehicles
General Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (Gaikindo) Yohanes Nangoi revealed that the electric car sales in 2022 has jumped drastically compared to the previous year. Throughout 2021, less than 1,000 electric cars were sold. In 2022, however, the sales figure skyrocketed to 6,000 units. Nangoi explained that the sharp increase in sales was influenced by the G20 Summit. He added that the growth in electric car sales was also assisted by various government policies.
“Around 800 units were used at the Summit in Bali while the rest is the public interest which is starting to increase,” he explained.
Challenges
Despite the rising electric vehicles sales growth and supports from the government, the industry still faces several challenges to achieving zero–net emissions. Ironically, the energy source used for the electric vehicles charging stations comes from a dirty source, namely coal.
Head of Transportation Study Institute Darmaningtyas told Antara news agency that 63% of electricity still came from coal, which makes electric vehicles not fully eco-friendly. As a result, the use of electric vehicles only delays pollution considering that coal-fired steamed power plant (PLTU) produces pollution.
He also highlighted the fact that the price for electric vehicles was still relatively high for general public.
“If it is economically beneficial, then the people will transition to EVs by themselves,” Darmaningtyas explained.
