Pertamina: Pertamina and Grab Agree to Strengthen the EV Ecosystem

Pertamina through its two sub holdings, Pertamina NRE and Patra Niaga signed a memorandum of understanding with Grab Indonesia to strengthen the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem on Tuesday (18/1).

The memorandum of understanding signing involved several parties, namely Pertamina Power Indonesia (Pertamina NRE), Patra Niaga, and Grab Indonesia. The signing was carried out by Dannif Danusaputro as the CEO of Pertamina NRE, Alfian Nasution as the President Director of Patra Niaga, Ridzki Kramadibrata as the President of Grab Indonesia, and Iki Sari Dewi as the Director of Business Jabodetabek Grab Indonesia.

“Pertamina NRE is strongly committed in guarding the energy transition. The EV ecosystem is one of the businesses that we are currently developing through the Indonesia Battery Corporation. We genuinely welcome this strategic partnership that will accelerate the growth and development of the EV ecosystem in Indonesia,” said Dannif.

Pertamina NRE participated in the battery SOE namely Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) together with PLN, MIND ID, and Antam. IBC focuses on the battery industry from upstream to downstream. It is targeted that production will reach 140 GWh by 2029.

Pertamina’s role is not only in the production of batteries but also in the provision of infrastructure for exchanging electric vehicle batteries. The petrol station (SPBU) managed by Patra Niaga is the right place to become an electric vehicle battery exchange station. Patra Niaga is currently intensively pursuing the Green Energy Station (GES) program, which is an environmentally friendly petrol station concept where one of the services provided is charging electricity or exchanging batteries for electric vehicles. Currently, the number of GES is 101 spread across various regions of the country.

“With this strategic collaboration, the three parties will unite their strengths to ensure that the battery distribution system, from battery swap station technology to location selection for these stations network, will run smoothly so that more drivers will switch to electric vehicles,” added Alfian.

Grab is Asia’s leading super app that provides transportation and delivery services. Several lines of Grab’s business have utilized electric vehicles, including GrabCar, GrabBike, and GrabFood with a fleet of cars, motorbikes, and electric bicycles. Grab has operated more than 8,500 electric vehicles in Indonesia as part of its commitment to support Battery-Based Electric Motorized Vehicles (KBLBB).

“Grab has the same commitment as its strategic partners, Pertamina Power Indonesia (Pertamina NRE) and Patra Niaga, in developing the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia. As a transportation service provider, Grab is ready to share experiences and open access to markets related to the operation of electric vehicle fleets. We also believe that the expansion of electric vehicles presence will bring enormous benefits for passengers, driver-partners, and of course, environmental sustainability, which is part of the focus of Grab’s #LangkahHijau initiative,” said Ridzki on the same occasion.

This joint project is planned to start in Bali this year. Bali will host the G20 Summit, so it will be the right moment to show Indonesia’s strong commitment to the energy transition and achieve the net-zero emission target by 2060. Bali is pushing clean energy use by issuing Governor Regulation number 45 of 2019 concerning Bali Clean Energy.