Bali Post recently reported Bali Governor, Wayan Koster, led a convoy of more than 35-electric motorcycles, cars, Bajas and bicycles around Denpasar last Sunday to welcome an 'era of electric vehicles.'

The first places to be exposed to the initiative will be the main tourist centres of Kuta, Sanur and Ubud.

Sunday morning's in Denpasar are designated as 'car-free' days and many people tend to gather at parks for sport and healthy family based activities.

The implication is that Koster hopes exposing electric vehicles at this car-free time will help people to understand they are safe and environmentally friendly and also to tap into a growing eco-friendly trend, something he sees as important for Bali as one of the world's leading tourism destinations.

Bali has been designated as a 'pioneer' destination along with the nation's capital of Jakarta, Medan in North Sumatra and Bandung in West Java to develop public recharging stations in support of an electric vehicle future.

Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali

Nyoman Suwarjoni Astawa, General Manager of state owned electricity supplier PLN - Bali Distribution Main Unit, told reporters the use of electric vehicles was also in line with the vision and mission of Governor Koster called Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali.

This is a Balinese-based concept focused around balance between the physical and the spiritual in nature, the community and in Balinese culture.

The recent initiative to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags in Bali was cited as a practical example of this vision to keep the natural environment clean - something the use of electric vehicles is also hoped to positively contribute to.

Era of Electric Vehicles

PLN appears to be doing its bit to support a clean and green Bali. Bali Post are reporting Astawa as saying there were 109-recharging stations in Bali and PLN themselves were already operating with electric vehicles.

While this number of charging stations is clearly not enough to service tens of thousands of vehicles across the island, it is a start and it does open doors to private investors to become a part of Bali's electric revolution.

Antara News report the recent electric vehicle initiatives are in line with government policies as outlined in Presidential Regulation (Perpres) N0. 55 - 2019 concerning the Acceleration of the Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicle Programme for Road Transportation. The target is to have 20-percent of Indonesia's total vehicle production electric by 2025.

Sources: Bali Post, Medcom, Grid.id, Antara News, Tribun News, Nusa Bali

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