The business-related electric vehicles (EVs) charging stations are currently becoming a promising investment in Indonesia.

In the period of January-April 2025, the sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) reached 23,900 units, showing a significant 211 per cent increase compared to the same period of last year, according to data from the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO).

The Indonesian government, through its state-owned electricity company PT PLN and the relevant ministries, is now vigorously building EV charging stations across the country to meet the needs of EV users.

As of March this year, PLN has installed a total of 3,558 charging station units across Indonesia's 2,412 strategic points, 1,000 of which are located along Trans Sumatra and Java, the country's busiest route.

PLN has opened a number of opportunities for partnerships and collaborations with private entities, including office and education areas, to install charging stations. The company is also mulling charging unit installment in some poles in Jakarta.

"Through collaboration, the expansion of charging station access can proceed more quickly and evenly throughout Indonesia, making it more comfortable for the public to switch to EV as part of a greener and more sustainable lifestyle.

"We hope such collaboration will serve as an important stepping stone in building a robust EV ecosystem in Indonesia," Retail and Commercial Director of PLN, Edi Srimulyanti, said recently.

The fact is, according to Bagus Made Arthaya, a professor of mechatronics engineering from the Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia still has very limited charging stations and the current number is not adequate to support people using EVs.

Moreover, most of the charging station units are still not able to fully charge an EV in a short time.

"You still have to think about where you can find the best charging stations. It is still not adequate to support people. We need charging stations with less waiting time," Arthaya said in a seminar in Bandung.

Indonesian Minister of Investment and Downstream Rosan Roeslani acknowledged that the number of charging stations in Indonesia was still limited. Therefore, the government will revise regulations to facilitate private sector investment in charging stations, so that their numbers will increase.

"If there is an EV battery (investment), there must also be a charging station (investment). Our charging stations are indeed still lacking. Therefore, we will revise one of the government regulations on how these charging stations can be operated by third parties," Roeslani said in Jakarta.

An observer of automotive from Bandung Technology Institute (ITB), Yannes Martinus Pasaribu, said that with the increasing demand in EV, the business prospects of establishing Public EV Charging Stations (SPKLU) in Indonesia became a very promising investment portfolio.

In addition, investing in the charging station business would speed the EV adoption in Indonesia and encourage local partners' participation.

"This clearly shows that the charging station is a very potential element in accelerating EV sales absorption in Indonesia," Pasaribu said.

Mahaendra Gofar, EV Expert & Automotive Professional from EVSafe Indonesia, the country's first EV safety training and certification institution, said that the scarcity of charging stations present a potential business opportunity, both for the PLN as the state electricity provider and for private business players in this field.

"We believe that the number of electric car users in Indonesia will continue to increase drastically.

"Automotive brands that carry EV products will increase,and public perception of electric cars will gain greater acceptance. For this, the accessible charging stations are important parts of this ecosystem," Gofar said.