One Charging Station for Every 47 Electric Vehicles Raises Indonesian Government’s ‘Time Bomb’ Concern

Indonesia’s electric-vehicle push is running ahead of its charging network, with one public charging station serving about 47 electric vehicles. The government is warning that the imbalance could become a “time bomb” as ownership grows.

Dendy Apriandi, director of investment deregulation at the Investment Ministry and the Investment Coordinating Board, said the ratio showed that charging infrastructure needed to expand faster. He spoke at a Bisnis Indonesia forum in Jakarta on Sept. 8, 2026.

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Yesterday we read that the ratio for public charging-station use had reached an unreasonable one to 47 in the queue. That means there are still too few.

“If we do not build the ecosystem, including public charging stations, it will become a problem, it will become a time bomb,” Dendy said. He argued that the electric-vehicle industry cannot expand without supporting infrastructure, especially outside major cities. Concentrating charging stations in large urban centers could become a barrier when electric vehicles spread to other regions.

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If we do not build the ecosystem, including public charging stations, it will become a problem, it will become a time bomb.

The government is widening investment opportunities in the charging-station business, including for foreign investors. Projects must meet a minimum investment value of Rp10 billion, excluding land and construction costs. Officials say the policy aims to support charging infrastructure across more areas rather than allowing development to remain concentrated in major cities.

Dendy also cautioned that switching to electric vehicles has not yet resolved the emissions issue from end to end. “Even when we talk about electrical energy, the electricity still comes from fossil fuels at present. That means we are not yet talking about the end-to-end picture,” he said. The government is preparing deregulation, improved licensing and incentives as it works to develop a broader clean-energy ecosystem.

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Even when we talk about electrical energy, the electricity still comes from fossil fuels at present. That means we are not yet talking about the end-to-end picture.