Jakarta – Indonesia’s national electric vehicle industry continues to show positive growth with the introduction of an electric bus developed through a collaboration between Tentrem coachbuilder and technology company Wintrone. Unlike many electric fleets that still rely on imported products from China or Europe, this bus has been developed with a domestic production concept.

The presence of this electric bus proves that Indonesia’s automotive industry is beginning to build environmentally friendly vehicles independently, from design to technology development.

Road Testing and Certification Stage

The electric bus is currently still undergoing road testing and the homologation process to obtain roadworthiness certification from the Ministry of Transportation. This stage is an important requirement before the vehicle can be officially operated by public transportation operators in various regions.

If all processes run smoothly, this locally made electric bus has the potential to soon be used in urban transportation services as a replacement for older diesel fleets, which are known to be less efficient and produce high levels of pollution.

Driving National Industry and Economy

The presence of an Indonesian-made electric bus brings positive impacts to the national industrial sector. In addition to strengthening the domestic electric vehicle supply chain, this project also opens up major opportunities for local component manufacturers, the manufacturing industry, and electric vehicle maintenance services.

The development of national electric vehicles is also believed to be capable of creating new jobs while improving the competitiveness of Indonesia’s automotive industry in the global market.

More Environmentally Friendly

Beyond its economic impact, the use of electric buses is also considered better for the environment. One electric bus is said to be capable of reducing carbon emissions by up to tens of tons of CO₂ each year compared to a diesel-powered bus.

This makes it an important solution for major cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, which continue to face air pollution problems caused by the high use of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.

Challenges in Charging Infrastructure

Although it has promising prospects, the development of national electric buses still faces challenges, particularly in the availability of charging infrastructure. At present, the number of public electric vehicle charging stations remains limited and is not yet evenly distributed across various regions.

Therefore, support from the government, transportation operators, and the private sector is highly needed so that Indonesia’s electric vehicle ecosystem can develop faster and more sustainably.