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Governor Anies: In Jakarta, we have never promoted electric cars
While the central government is pushing for the development of an electric vehicle (EV) industry in the country, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan says his administration is not promoting the usage of electric cars.
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Extended service: An electric bus stops on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta in July 2020. PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) extended the operating hours of the free electric bus to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m to serve more passengers during its three-month free trial. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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hile the central government is pushing for the development of an electric vehicle (EV) industry in the country, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan says his administration is not promoting the use of electric cars.
In a media briefing with The Jakarta Post on Sept. 9, Anies noted that an increasing popularity of electric cars in Jakarta could create more congestion, as the main factors of congestion were "the number of cars and the length of roads."
"If we already have [too] many cars, like now, oh my, the problem is going to get worse now that electric cars are being [endorsed]," Anies said.
Read also: Anies expands access to public spaces, transit to unite Jakartans
Anies argued that many people in Jakarta would utilize electric cars "to complement, not substitute" cars that use fossil fuels, which would lead to an increase in the average number of cars per person.
According to data from Dutch location technology company TomTom, Jakarta has improved from being the third most-clogged city in the world with 58 percent congestion in 2017 to ranking 46th with 34 percent congestion in 2021.
“A person that already has two cars, then buys an electric car; will this person sell the two cars? No. [This person would have a total of] three cars,” Anies claimed.
