Madiun, E Java (ANTARA) - An electric bus made by state-run train and railway manufacturer PT INKA (Persero), named E-Inobus, was showcased in the Borobudur Temple tourist area, Magelang district, Central Java province, on Saturday.
The showcase coincided with an electric motorized vehicle (KBL) exhibition and the inauguration of public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
In a statement issued here on Saturday, senior manager for corporate social responsibility and stakeholder relationships at the company, Bambang Ramadhiarto, that the minister lauded the development of the electric bus.
"In February 2022, PT INKA (Persero), along with the Directorate General of Land Transportation of the Transportation Ministry, state-owned bus operator Perum Damri, state-run tourism enterprise PT TWC, and the Borobudur Temple Authority Agency held a coordination meeting to determine the locations for the SPKLU and the electric bus operation in the Borobudur Temple Super Priority Tourism Destination (DPSP) area," he informed.
The KBL exhibition is part of the government’s attempts to ensure the success of the DPSP development program through the use of vehicles operating on renewable energy.
The E-Inobus trial in the tourism area reflects PT INKA’s (Persero’s) commitment to supporting the government in carrying out the energy transition in the transportation sector and making the 2022 G20 Summit a success.
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On the same occasion, Pandjaitan said that his ministry has asked the train and railway manufacturer to expand the E-Inobus fleet to four or five buses. "We congratulate you on the inauguration of Borobudur Temple as an environmentally friendly and sustainable destination,” he remarked.
It only takes three to four hours to fully charge the battery of PT INKA’s electric bus. The bus can run up to 200 kilometers (km) on a single charge. Meanwhile, the noise from the electric bus (71 decibels, or dB, on average) is lower compared to conventional buses. For instance, the average noise generated by diesel buses is 85 dB.
The electric bus can run at a maximum speed of 90 km per hour and has a maximum gradability -- the ability to climb a slope at an efficient speed -- of 14 percent. In addition, during a test run conducted over a distance of 122 km, the E-Inobus was found 58 percent more efficient than conventional buses.