Jeju Regulatory Free Zone Begins Demonstration to Halve Electric Vehicle Charging Time

100kW Fast Charging, Charging Time Halved from 40 Minutes to 20 Minutes
Battery Performance and Condition Diagnostic Mobile Service Provided

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] A demonstration project to halve the charging time for electric vehicles is underway in the Jeju Electric Vehicle Charging Service Regulatory Free Zone.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced on the 21st that they have begun a demonstration project to advance the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and to test electric vehicle performance and condition diagnostic services within the electric vehicle charging service free zone.

As of December last year, Jeju recorded the second highest nationwide electric vehicle registration with 21,285 vehicles. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups explained that this demonstration aims to resolve inconveniences related to electric vehicle charging through the regulatory free zone and to proactively respond to the activation of used electric vehicle transactions.

The infrastructure advancement demonstration merges a 50 kW energy storage system (ESS) with an already installed 50 kW rapid charger, enabling 100 kW rapid charging while utilizing the existing rapid charger as is.

The existing 50 kW rapid charger took about 40 minutes to charge an electric vehicle up to approximately 80%. By merging the ESS and upgrading to 100 kW, charging can be completed in 20 minutes. This performance enhancement is possible without replacing the rapid charger, and is expected to save about 17.2 billion KRW in budget.

Jeju Regulatory Free Zone Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Demonstration. Graphic provided by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

Before proceeding with the demonstration, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups ensured safety by using ESS batteries certified with the Korea Certification (KC) mark. The battery charge rate was also limited to between 70% and 20% during the process.

The demonstration is conducted on demonstration-dedicated electric vehicles in indoor locations in sparsely populated areas. Once safety is secured, outdoor demonstrations will also be conducted, and the target vehicles will be expanded to include government vehicles. To prepare for emergencies such as fires, a real-time remote monitoring system will be established and operated starting in April.

Additionally, proactive measures will be taken to activate used electric vehicle transactions through electric vehicle performance and condition diagnostic services.

This demonstration operates mobile performance inspection vehicles that travel to customer-requested locations to diagnose the number of battery charge-discharge cycles and performance of used electric vehicles, assess their current value, and provide information for reference during used car transactions.

Through the demonstration, vehicle inspections can also be conducted via mobile performance inspection vehicles. Considering the simpler structure of electric vehicles compared to internal combustion engines, a special exemption was granted so that unnecessary internal combustion engine facilities and equipment are not required for electric vehicle performance and condition inspections.

The inspection takes about 30 minutes, and results can be received immediately after the inspection. During the demonstration period, diagnostic service costs are free. Users in Jeju who wish to have their used electric vehicles inspected can apply for the diagnostic service on the service provision website and will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis (5 to 10 people per day).

Kim Heechun, head of the Regulatory Free Zone Planning Team at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Through this demonstration, Jeju, which has a high electric vehicle adoption rate, will enhance convenience for residents with the nation’s top-level charging infrastructure and lead the electric vehicle charging market nationwide. We will actively support ensuring that the demonstration results lead to regulatory improvements and commercialization."

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