In 2022, the Government of Indonesia announced an electric vehicle subsidy of 80 million. However, not many people know that electric vehicles in Asmat Regency, Papua, are common thing. People there are no longer hyped about it. Check out the following information to find out about this surprising fact.
Electric Vehicles: When It All Started
The government is intensively building an ecosystem for electric vehicles in Indonesia. They hope that Indonesians start using electric vehicles, which are considered more environmentally friendly than ordinary vehicles.
However, not many people know that some cities in eastern Indonesia already use electric vehicles. It is Asmat Regency, a district in Papua that has around 23,991 residents as of 2021.
The electric vehicles in Papua, especially in Asmat, are no longer a novelty for them. They have been using electric vehicles as transportation for more than 15 years from one place to another.
They first encountered electric motorbikes in 2006. The electric vehicle was brought by a resident of South Sulawesi named Erna Sabuddin.
At the beginning of its arrival, the people there felt strange and unfavorable to the vehicle. Then, the Regent of Asmat, who was serving at that time, named Juvesius A. Biakai, gave a positive reaction to the electric motorbike.
Slowly, people are starting to accept and no longer underestimate this transportation vehicle.
Fun fact, Asmat people call an electric motorbike a bicycle. They also don’t have to have an STNK (vehicle registration) or SIM (driver’s license) to ride it. The motor plate attached to the vehicle is only used as a substitute for a retribution fee sticker. So, residents who have electric bicycles do not need to pay vehicle tax.
Why Do Asmat People Choose to Use Electric Vehicles?
Even though the majority of the Asmat tribe use electric motorbikes, actually, in the city of Agats, there are still common motorbikes that use gasoline. However, this vehicle is only used by certain circles. For example, members of the police or government.
There are several reasons why many Asmat people use electric motorbikes as their means of transportation.
1. Street Typography in Papua
The first reason concerns the streets in the city of Agats.
Although some have been built with concrete, some roads in Asmat are still muddy and winding. Sometimes some roads cannot be passed by cars. Therefore, people must choose either walking, cycling, or riding a motorcycle to go to another place.
If using an ordinary motorcycle, they must buy quite expensive fuel. Therefore, among these three choices, the fastest and most effective transportation option is an electric motorbike.
With the electric motor, they can go somewhere more quickly. Moreover, the electric vehicle has lighter weight than a common motorcycle that uses fuel.
2. Cost-Effective
Another reason is that the Asmat people feel it is more cost-effective. It is because the cost of maintaining electric motorbikes is more affordable than common motorcycles that use gasoline. They only need to pay Rp5.000 to recharge.
The Evolution of Electric Vehicles in Asmat Regency
The Asmat District Transportation Office noted that until last October, the number of electric vehicles in Asmat had reached around 4,000 units.
The Secretary of the Asmat Regency Transportation Service, Maichel N. Womsiwor, predicts that the electric vehicle demand in Asmat will likely increase.
In the future, the government will make regulations so that the use of electric motorbikes in this district is more orderly. One of them is by imposing new rules in the form of applying STNK and taxes for electric motorbikes.
The government is also supporting the use of electric motorbikes in the Asmat district by building electric vehicle charging stations.
Based on Abdul Farid, the General Manager of PLN (Indonesia State Electricity Corporation) Papua and West Papua Main Unit, charging stations (SPKLU) for electric vehicles in Asmat and other regencies in Papua can operate from 2022.
