Charging Robots Under Development
The South Korean government announced a series of green car-related plans on Feb. 23. According to the plans, the government will complete the testing of self-driving robot-based automatic charging of parked electric vehicles by 2023 and prepare related subsidies in 2024. A total of 7.5 billion won is scheduled to be invested for the development of 11 kW charging robots for commercial use.
In addition, the government will work on a pilot project for wireless bus charging. It will organize a task force to that end this year and expand the project nationwide if the first pilot project turns out to be successful.
Also, at least 123 super-fast chargers will be installed this year so that electric vehicles can cover a distance of 300 km or more after charging for 20 minutes. Projects will be launched for the domestic development of key electric vehicle components, including coolers, and 8.2 billion won will be invested this year and next year so that components and systems for 400 kW charging can be developed.
The number of electric vehicle chargers will be boosted as well. Specifically, at least 500,000 chargers will be installed in and around residential and office areas by 2025 and the mandatory installation ratio applied to new buildings will be raised from 0.5 percent to 10 percent by that year. The ratio applied to existing private buildings such as super supermarkets and department stores will be raised to 2 percent.
The number of gas and LPG stations equipped with electric vehicle chargers will be increased to 630 by 2025 and super-fast chargers will be installed at 197 motorway service areas nationwide. The number of chargers available on major roads and expressways is scheduled to reach 17,000.