Toyota's hydrogen cars are targeted to hit Indonesian roads by 2030.

KatadataOTO – Hydrogen cars are one alternative for environmentally friendly vehicles alongside BEVs and HEVs. However, their implementation is quite minimal in Indonesia as well as in the global market.

Just like electric cars, there is a need for public education, investment from manufacturers, and cooperation with the government to develop hydrogen vehicles and their fuel to make them more affordable.

In Indonesia, hydrogen cars are also not yet used on a mass scale. Toyota is using one of its products, the Mirai, for its operations and as a case study within the country.

“We already have the first and second-generation Mirai, which we will evaluate later. As stated by Professor Eniya (Director General of NREEC, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources), we need regulations and studies first,” said Nandi Juliyanto, President Director of PT TMMIN (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia) in Karawang, West Java, on Tuesday (11/2).

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He emphasized that the Toyota Mirai is not yet officially for sale in Indonesia. Its population is also still small even in the global market, as not many manufacturers are producing hydrogen vehicles.

The availability of infrastructure is one of the considerations. Therefore, Toyota is committed to helping develop the ecosystem first before bringing in its products.

“Later, once the ecosystem is in place, importantly within a certain area (hydrogen car refueling stations), it might be possible by 2030,”

In terms of price, hydrogen cars are considered expensive. Furthermore, the type of hydrogen being developed in Indonesia in the initial stage is low-carbon hydrogen, not yet at the point of green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power to electrolyze water, or separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

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The price of hydrogen is also expensive and cannot yet fully replace fossil fuels. Moreover, gasoline and diesel still receive subsidies from the government.

For your information, a study from BRIN revealed that the price of green hydrogen is around 5 USD per kilogram, or equivalent to Rp 81,875 when converted to the rupiah exchange rate.

If hydrogen is to become an alternative to fossil fuels, the recommended price is around 0.14 USD (Rp 2,292) per kilogram.