Pindad Launches Electric Tactical Vehicle Pandu

KatadataOTO – PT Pindad has once again strengthened its lineup of tactical vehicles by presenting its newest electric car, the Pandu. The model was directly launched by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, at the Indo Defence, Indo Marine, and Indo Aerospace event at Jiexpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

Not only launching it, the president also signed a plaque on the hood of the MV3 EV Pandu electric car.

“The Pandu is based on the EV3, an operational vehicle that we have developed and supplied to the Ministry of Defense. From there, it was further developed to convert it from its original ICE or Internal Combustion Engine with diesel to an EV,” said PT Pindad's Vice President, Rakhmad Aryo, in his statement after the launch.

According to him, the development of this vehicle is not only in line with the national defense vision but also supports renewable energy policies. PT Pindad also conveyed its commitment to building a domestic electric vehicle industry ecosystem.

Photo : Antara

"We are not just building a product but also building an industrial ecosystem. So, we will strive for all parts of the Pandu to be produced locally in the future,” Rakhmad added.

The name Pandu itself was chosen from a character in the Mahabharata epic, symbolizing a pioneer. It is hoped that its presence can support the development of national electric vehicles in the future.

The presence of Pandu as an electric car is certainly an interesting note. This is because PT Pindad has established a partnership with KG Mobility Corporation, a four-wheeled vehicle company from South Korea.

In this collaboration, the two companies plan to work on a national electric car and bus project for Indonesia. KG Mobility Corporation will also provide a range of support to PT Pindad in producing EVs (Electric Vehicles).

Photo : PT Pindad

They will also evaluate the work results, technology, and vehicle product engineering so that it can be marketed in the country. On the other hand, the two companies agreed to collaborate to expand the scale of PT Pindad's national electric bus and car production project.

They are even targeting a production capacity of up to 200,000 units in the near future.