TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s shift toward low-emission vehicles is advancing faster than expected, driven by a sharp increase in electrified vehicle sales during the first half of 2026, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said.
Agus said sales of electrified vehicles reached 117,000 units in the first six months of 2026, marking a 69.4 dercent year-on-year increase. He added that electrified vehicles now account for a significant share of new passenger car purchases in Indonesia.
“This means that one out of every four passenger cars purchased by the Indonesian public is already an electrified vehicle. Five years ago, this figure was not even visible,” Agus said during the opening of the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2026 in BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday, July 30.
Despite the rapid growth of electric vehicle adoption, Agus said the government is not favoring any single technology in its efforts to reduce emissions.
He said battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), more efficient internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, as well as biodiesel and bioethanol-based fuels, all serve the same objective: lowering emissions while strengthening national energy resilience.
“What we want to accelerate is achieving the goal, not standardizing the approach,” Agus said.
PHEV Sales Rise Amid Charging Infrastructure Challenges
The Indonesian Motor Vehicle Industry Association (Gaikindo) expects plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales to continue growing as consumers seek more flexible alternatives.
Gaikindo Secretary-General Kukuh Kumara said wholesale PHEV sales from January to May 2026 reached 2,601 units, representing a 416.1 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
According to Kukuh, PHEVs have gained consumer interest because they combine electric technology with the ability to use conventional fuel, offering greater flexibility amid limited public electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Charging stations, known as SPKLU, remain concentrated mainly in major cities, making fully electric vehicles less convenient for some consumers outside urban areas.
BEV Sales Continue Strong Growth
Meanwhile, battery-based electric vehicles (BEVs) also recorded significant growth.
Prabowo Kartoleksono, vice chairperson of the Development and Research Division at the Electric Vehicle Industry Association (Periklindo), said wholesale BEV sales reached 57,087 units between January and May 2026, an 80 percent increase from the same period in 2025.
He attributed the surge to manufacturers introducing more advanced electric vehicle technologies while offering increasingly competitive prices.
“In some cases, they can even be cheaper than gasoline (ICE) vehicles in the same class,” Prabowo said in a written statement.
Alfitria NefiPratiwi contributed to the writing of this article.
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