'Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station' to Recharge 60 Vehicles Daily, Reopening in January Next Year

Seoul City and Seocho-gu Agree to Facility Improvement Approval
Daily Storage Capacity Expanded 2.5 Times with Latest Equipment Replacement

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul 'Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station,' which had been out of operation for nearly a year, will reopen in January next year with more than double its previous charging capacity.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 29th that after taking over the operation rights of the 'Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station,' which Hyundai Motor Company had operated for research purposes, in September, it recently completed the permit for facility improvements from Seocho-gu, the local district office, and will begin construction in earnest from the 30th.

Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station is one of four hydrogen charging stations in Seoul, along with Sangam, Gangdong Sangil, and National Assembly hydrogen charging stations. It was established in 2010 as Seoul's first hydrogen charging station. From 2018, it was opened to general hydrogen vehicle drivers, but operations were suspended in January this year due to equipment failure.

To promptly resume operations at Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station, the city began consultations with Hyundai Motor Company in July and succeeded in transferring the business operator status by receiving the equipment and facilities as a donation. Subsequently, in consultation with Seocho-gu, it completed the permit change (high-pressure gas manufacturing permit change) for facility improvement construction.

In October, a non-face-to-face residents' briefing session was held to introduce Seocho-gu residents to the facility improvement plans for Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station, the safety and eco-friendliness of hydrogen charging stations, and the necessity of revitalizing the hydrogen economy. The city and Seocho-gu explained that during the pre-consultation process, they carefully reviewed residents' demands to the extent that the permit was postponed twice.

The newly reopened Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station will increase its daily hydrogen storage capacity from the existing 120 kg to 300 kg, 2.5 times larger, and the number of vehicles that can be charged daily will expand from 24 to more than 60.

To alleviate congestion caused by vehicles using the hydrogen charging station, the current single entrance will be increased to two, and additional guide signs will be installed. Also, considering the convenience of Seocho-gu residents, where the largest number of hydrogen vehicles in Seoul?150 as of October 2020?are distributed, a plan to offer a 20-30% discount on charging fees for one year after the official opening is being reviewed following legal consultation.

Along with preparations for the reopening of Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station, additional eco-friendly hydrogen vehicles will be distributed. The Seoul Metropolitan Government sets the scale of hydrogen vehicle distribution considering the charging infrastructure capacity. Accordingly, following the distribution of about 950 vehicles from January this year to the present, it will accept additional applications for the '2020 2nd Hydrogen Vehicle Subsidy' for 261 vehicles starting from the 30th.

Jo Wan-seok, Director of the Climate Change Response Division of Seoul City, said, "With the reopening of Yangjae Hydrogen Charging Station, we expect to resolve the inconvenience faced by hydrogen vehicle users due to the shortage of charging stations," adding, "We will actively expand hydrogen vehicle charging infrastructure and promote hydrogen vehicle distribution to reduce fine dust in downtown Seoul and cut greenhouse gas emissions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.