ITS Chancellor Prof Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng IPU AEng after trying to ride the Red and White Electric Bus as a result of the collaboration between ITS – PT INKA

Campus ITS, ITS News – The collaborative project to make the Red and White electric bus between the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) and PT INKA will soon be completed. To conduct a production review, the ITS Chancellor and his staff made a direct working visit to PT INKA in Madiun Tuesday (13/9).

ITS Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng IPU AEng said this visit was a follow-up to PT INKA’s visit to ITS last week. PT INKA visited to ask ITS for assistance in lending tools to help the robot welding process. “That is to do welding on the bus battery,” explained the number one person at ITS.

ITS Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng (front left) with the ranks of ITS leadership accompanied by the President Director of PT INKA Ir Budi Noviantoro (front right) while reviewing at PT INKA

In response to this, the President Director of PT INKA, Ir Budi Noviantoro, explained that the production of the Red and White buses that will be used at the G20 Summit in Bali had reached 70 percent. He said the interior installation of the bus was still being carried out while waiting for the arrival of all the engine components and the bus battery. “The estimate will arrive next week, and we will immediately assemble it,” he said.

(from left) ITS Chancellor Prof Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng IPU AEng and ITS Vice Chancellor II Ir Mas Agus Mardiyanto ME Ph.D. during a review of the Red and White Bus at PT INKA

In addition to conducting a direct review of the production of the Red and White electric bus, the visit of the ITS Chancellor and his staff was followed by a discussion about future cooperation opportunities with PT INKA. This discussion is also a follow-up to the previous memorandum of understanding.

Budi explained that his party offered cooperation to build green tourism in Sarangan Lake, Magetan. The project requires support from ITS to prepare an electric boat to be operated at the water tourism spot. “Of course, this will form a sustainable collaboration between PT INKA and ITS,” he said.

The ITS leadership was accompanied by the President Director of PT INKA Ir Budi Noviantoro when trying to ride the Red and White Electric Bus.

In addition to cooperation in green tourism, Budi also conveyed an offer of collaboration in constructing the Bali – Aceh fast train. In this project, ITS will play a role in researching the construction, materials, and energy needed to build high-speed rail infrastructure.

Director of PT INKA Ir Budi Noviantoro (left) when showing the battery pack to ITS Chancellor Prof Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng, which is ready to be installed on the Red and White Electric Bus

Meanwhile, the ITS Chancellor, familiarly called Ashari, expressed his hopes for this working visit. According to him, initiating cooperation between PT INKA and ITS is expected to produce a long-term development plan. “Especially in infrastructure development,” he concluded. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Nurul Lathifah