By : Candra Alsaki Putra )*
The 43rd ASEAN Summit 2023 will be held on 5-7 September 2023 in Jakarta and Indonesia as the host has prepared all the facilities, including electric vehicles. At least hundreds of electric vehicles have been prepared to support the facilities of the delegates who came.
ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nation) is an economic and political union of a number of countries in Southeast Asia which was founded on August 8 1967 in Thailand. Indonesia is an active member of ASEAN, apart from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Timor Leste.
After successfully holding the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia will again hold the 43rd ASEAN Summit which will be held in Jakarta. The implementation of the 43rd ASEAN Summit itself is part of Indonesia’s chairmanship during 2023, which was not only attended by ASEAN heads of state but also ASEAN partner countries. Therefore, the government has prepared infrastructure and facilities, including electric vehicles.
Regarding this matter, Woojune Cha as President Director of PT Hyundai Motors Indonesia (HMID) officially handed over around 346 electric cars of the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 types to the Government through the Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, Setya Utama. The event was held at the Hyundai Horizon of Innovation booth at the GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show 2023 (GIIAS 2023), some time ago.
Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, Setya Utama appreciated the steps taken by PT HMID in making the 43rd ASEAN Summit a success. According to him, electric cars will be used for the spouses of the leaders of the countries attending. Not only that, electric cars will also be used by foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and security forces such as the Paspampres.
Regarding the qualifications for electric cars, Setya revealed that the government and the national committee have certain specifications needed regarding official vehicles that will be used at the summit, such as exterior and interior design and also comfort. Likewise, the quality of the battery is adjusted to durability and distance traveled.
Meanwhile, IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 will begin shipping at the end of August 2023 and will be tested by the paspampres who will be responsible for driving. They will be trained in introducing vehicle functions and driving experience for all officers who drive these units during this event. In the final stage, the electric car will be sterilized so that it can then be used for the 43rd ASEAN Summit.
The national committee, added Setya, will also prepare shuttle buses and integrated motorways (MRT) as transportation facilities that connect accommodation with event locations, the majority of which are in the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) area.
Previously, the government had also received around 36 BMW i7 electric cars. The vehicle is planned to be used by the leaders of the 43rd ASEAN Summit countries. Responding to this, Minister of State Secretary, Tiketno stated that the Government appreciates the steps taken by the BMW Group to help realize the development of the regional electric vehicle ecosystem.
Electric vehicles actually need to be optimized to support the mobility of guests of the 2023 ASEAN Summit delegation in Jakarta. The existence of electric cars certainly needs to be appreciated in order to reduce air pollution which has become increasingly uncontrolled in recent times.
The use of electric cars at the 43rd ASEAN Summit is Indonesia’s concrete step in the energy transition. Indonesia is currently taking the initiative to become an electric car producer too, not just a producer of electric car batteries. Because this vehicle is very environmentally friendly, making it a promising future car.
The use of electric cars at the 43rd ASEAN Summit provided momentum to develop the electric car industry in the country. The reason for the use of electric cars can be seen directly by the public, which are generally more efficient and environmentally friendly compared to fuel-based cars.
Indonesia is preparing to enter the green industry, and the government is committed to continuing to develop the electric car battery industry in Eastern Indonesia. Later, the factory resulting from this investment will produce car batteries ordered from South Korea and other countries. If there are electric vehicles at the 2023 ASEAN Summit, it is hoped that it will strengthen the positive image of Indonesia which is committed to developing environmentally friendly vehicles, so this is expected to increase investor interest in Indonesia.
The energy transition to electric energy vehicles is very important, because it is not a conventional type of vehicle that uses energy from noodle fuel
