Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the Faculty of Engineering (FT) and PT Petrosea Tbk are converting conventional diesel buses into electric buses or Electric Vehicles (EV). This project work was carried out by the Special Work Unit (UKK) Community Service (P2M) Department of Mechanical Engineering FTUI and Research Center for Advanced Vehicles (RCAVe) UI. The conversion process for the HINO R260 type AKAP diesel bus started in 2022 until nine months later. Before being officially launched at the end of November 2023, this type of bus has gone through intensive testing during 6,000 hours of traveling around the UI area.
“FTUI’s collaboration with industry, in this case PT Petrosea Tbk, is a good opportunity for us to show our commitment to encouraging emission reduction by using environmentally friendly technology, such as Electric Buses. On this converted EV Bus, we also succeeded in installing the nation’s first production control system in Indonesia. This is FTUI’s answer to the challenges of Indonesia’s technological independence and supports green transformation,” said Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU., Dean of FTUI.
Meanwhile, the Director of RCAVe UI Prof. Dr. Feri Yusivar said that the development of national electric vehicles has very high strategic value and is vital from an economic perspective. Therefore, industrial independence must be built by mastering automotive technology using local resources and human resources. He also said that the Battery Electric Bus collaboration project was a significant step forward in encouraging sustainable transportation in Indonesia and made an important contribution to the national automotive industry.
Electric vehicle conversion is a reverse engineering innovation carried out by replacing the oil-fueled engine (BBM) in the vehicle with an electric motor. This reverse engineering process is carried out while maintaining vehicle safety and performance. The RCAVe UI team succeeded in integrating the electric drive system by paying attention to construction strength and the location of the vehicle’s center of mass to maintain optimal control.
“Improvements have been made to several things, such as the layout of new components, integration of the electric drive system with the bus control system, as well as techniques to ensure that the electric engine (motor) power distribution provides optimal braking and turning ability. Apart from that, how to convert the bus so that it remains in line with the carrying capacity of existing roads in Indonesia is the final ingredient of the final product,” said Dr-Ing. Mohammad Adhitya, Vehicle Development Expert FTUI.
The control system on the EV UI Bus is the result of innovation from Dr. Abdul Muis, ST. M.Eng., Control Expert from FTUI Electrical Engineering. Even though the conversion of conventional vehicles to electric has begun in the last decade, full integration of EV devices still faces significant challenges. The Petrosea-UI electric bus has implemented an integrated EV device with the CAN SAE-J1939 communication protocol, a standard protocol for electric-powered heavy vehicles. However, the main challenge lies in the absence of standard PGN-SPN parameters for this communication protocol.
Until now, there is no universal integration device that can be applied to various electric vehicles. Integration devices known as Vehicle Control Units (VCU) on electric buses or on electric vehicles in general, are usually designed specifically for a particular EV device model. In Indonesia, most electric buses still depend on integrators from abroad, which limits the ability for independent development. However, the UI team succeeded in carrying out independent integration on the Petrosea-UI Electric Bus, allowing customization of EV devices without relying on foreign experts.
Head of Electric Vehicle (EV) PT Petrosea Tbk Sahala Sigalingging, ST, MSc., emphasized Petrosea’s commitment to ESG and decarbonization. “Petrosea is fully committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects. The EV initiative is a concrete step in supporting decarbonization, in line with Petrosea’s 3D (Diversification, Digitalization, Decarbonization) strategy. This effort is part of Petrosea’s process towards net zero emissions which will require full support and synergy from all stakeholders, both internal and external,” said Sahala.
In the current mining industry, the majority of existing equipment still uses fossil fuels, especially diesel. With the success of the conversion process resulting from the collaboration between FTUI and PT Petrosea Tbk., it is hoped that this system can be applied to the mining industry in Indonesia. This collaboration is proof of the ability and commitment of Indonesian academics and industry in encouraging sustainable innovation. The conversion of diesel buses to electric buses is a big step towards a cleaner and greener transportation future in Indonesia.
