Month: March 2022

Transformation has been a key factor in reducing the rate of traffic jams and pollution levels in Jakarta in the five years since 2017, Jakarta Governor Anis Baswedan has said.

“Just imagine. Within five years, we are down from being the fourth most congested city in the world (in 2017), seventh (in 2018), 10th (in 2019), 31st (in 2021), and in 2021, we are in the 46th position globally (down 15 places from 2020) because of these factors,” he highlighted on the first day of the ‘Jakarta E-Mobility Event,’ organized as a part of U20 Indonesia.

The event was broadcast on the Jakarta provincial government’s Youtube channel on Tuesday.

The capital’s traffic transformation has covered two aspects: public transportation and city residents’ routines, he said.

The changes in the city’s public transport system have included the integration of public transportation modes in Jakarta and expansion of routes, he added.

He cited TransJakarta as an example. Its route has been expanded and it has now been integrated with Microtrans, he noted. The same was done with MRT and LRT, he added.

The governor highlighted the changes in residents’ routines, which followed the development of Jakarta as a whole, as another part of the transformation. People have been hoping to change their routines into something more sustainable or eco-friendly, he noted.

Moving forward, transportation will be designed to make it more comfortable, and more electric vehicles will be utilized, particularly in the TransJakarta mode, to make Jakarta free of pollution, Baswedan informed.

He said the bus rapid transit was a token of his commitment to offering more eco-friendly transportation. As part of this effort, his administration will deploy 100 electric buses on existing routes, employ electric vehicles to replace half of the feeder bus fleet, and complete the entire process by 2025, he added.

“After that, we are committed to ensuring that most areas of Jakarta are emission-free by 2030. That’s our promise,” the governor said.

To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the provincial government will offer fiscal incentives, he added. “By giving them zero percent for two- and four-wheeled vehicles. So, no electric vehicle will be subject to a transportation tax,” he elaborated.

Baswedan had re-shared @dkijakarta’s post on congestion data for the city on his personal Instagram account on February 11, 2022. The data was based on measurements made by the TomTom Traffic Index.

As per the data, Jakarta is currently ranked 46th out of a total of 404 cities globally in terms of traffic congestion.

Source: Antara News

The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry and state-owned train manufacturer PT Industri Kereta Api Indonesia (INKA) have agreed to collaborate on building nine Red and White electric buses (BLMP) for the 2022 G20 Summit.

“The manufacturing process of the nine buses will also involve a number of universities,” head for the acceleration of BLMP development, Edi Winarno, said at the signing of a cooperation agreement for the development of the electric vehicles on Tuesday.

A number of state universities will be involved in the project—Gadjah Mada University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Airlangga University, and Denpasar Institute of Art, he informed.

Under the collaboration, the varsities will produce various parts of the buses, including the smart main indicator display, body, monocoque chassis, electric powertrain, and batteries, he said. In addition, they will build battery charging stations, he added.

The lecturers who participated in the vehicles’ research and development process will be accommodated through the lecturer sabbatical program in the industry sector, he informed.

Furthermore, several students will also be involved in the project under the Freedom of Learning in Campus (MBKM) program as certified interns at PT INKA for one semester, he said.

“The development and manufacturing of the nine electric buses will cost about Rp45 billion. The cost will be borne by PT INKA and the ministry,” Winarno informed.

The enterprise will finance the provision of electric bus platforms, engineers, and technicians, as well as human resources training, he said.

PT INKA will also be responsible for the certification of the electric buses that will be used at the G20 Summit as well as investment for post-G20 business development of the vehicles, he added.

Meanwhile, the ministry will develop the vehicles’ key components, manufacture, or procure the key components and arrange them, as well as tune all key components into the bus platforms, he said.

Acting director of Research, Technology, and Community Service at the ministry, Teuku Faisal Fathani, said that higher education institutions can become drivers of sustainable development by preparing creative and innovative human resources as well as innovations.

Indonesia needs electric vehicles since fossil fuels reserves are declining while air pollution and global warming are becoming worse, he said.

Source: Antara News