PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The presence of 1,299 units of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) during the homecoming and return periods of Idul Fitri 1445 H is felt to be very helpful for homecoming travelers. With the spread of SPKLU locations, electric vehicle (EV) users do not need to worry about making homecoming trips.

PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo said that the company is fully committed to supporting the use of EV vehicles by the public. With the various EV infrastructure provided by PLN during the 2024 Eid homecoming, he hopes to be able to experience people directly by easily using electric vehicles.

"With thorough preparation, we can provide excellent charging services for EV travelers. "So, EV travelers feel comfortable and without long queues," said Darmawan, Monday (22/4/2024)

According to Darmawan, the high level of public interest in going home with electric vehicles is reflected in the increasing number of transactions and electricity consumption at SPKLU.

"It was recorded that until D+7 of Idul Fitri 2024, the number of transactions at SPKLU reached 11,377 transactions or a 5-fold increase compared to 2023 which was 2,275 transactions," he said.

In line with the increase in transactions at SPKLU, the amount of electricity consumption also increases. Actual electricity consumption at SPKLU until H+7 of Idul Fitri 2024 reached 226.5 Mega Watt hour (MWh), or an increase of 5.2 times compared to 2023 of 43.5 MWh.

"This shows that interest and intensity in the use of environmentally friendly vehicles is high among the public, so PLN will continue to go "all-out" to support the growth of the EV ecosystem in the country by collaborating with various parties," said Darmawan.

PLN's readiness to provide EV support infrastructure and alert posts in every "rest area" during the homecoming and return traffic was appreciated by Hario Bayu, a homecomer from Semarang. He said that the electricity SPKLU provided by PLN really supports vehicle users going home.

"Not only does it support electric vehicles, but this makes my and my family's homecoming experience more enjoyable," said Hario.

Appreciation also came from Rudi, a homecoming from Serang who was heading to Sumatra using an electric car. He admitted that he was satisfied with the Merak Port SPKLU service and also the "Trip Planner" feature on the PLN Mobile application to search for SPKLU location points.

"I have used SPKLU several times at Merak Port and am quite satisfied with the services provided by PLN. "I also tried the "Trip Planner" feature which helps in finding the nearest SPKLU location," he explained.

The ease of charging electric vehicles with SPKLU is also felt by travelers traveling to the east. Raymond Hanjaya, a resident from Surabaya who traveled to Bali, told of his first experience of traveling long distances using an electric car.

"We use PLN's SPKLU along Surabaya - Bali, everything is safe, there are no errors, it runs smoothly and there is more fast charging," said Raymond. (rep no)