Seoul City to Begin Full-Scale Distribution of Eco-Friendly Hydrogen Cars from the 29th... Half of the Car Price Supported

Purchase Hydrogen Car Worth About 70 Million KRW at Half Price... National and City Subsidies of 33.5 Million KRW Provided
Tax Benefits Up to 6.6 Million KRW Including Individual Consumption Tax, Local Education Tax, and Acquisition Tax
Benefits Include 50% Discount on Highway Tolls and Public Parking Fees, Exemption from Namsan Tunnel Congestion Charges, and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will begin accepting applications for hydrogen vehicle subsidies starting on the 29th. Along with electric vehicles, the plan aims to popularize eco-friendly vehicles to reduce fine dust in downtown Seoul and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Seoul City on the 22nd, the city will allocate a budget of 29 billion KRW for hydrogen vehicle purchase subsidies and will accept subsidy applications for the first batch of 388 units out of 863 private distribution vehicles through the Ministry of Environment’s Low Emission Vehicle Purchase Subsidy Support System.

This year, the distribution of hydrogen vehicles is planned at 877 units, gradually expanding in connection with the expansion of charging infrastructure. Public vehicles under the city, district, and city-affiliated organizations will be required to adopt 100% eco-friendly vehicles (passenger cars) for newly purchased vehicles starting this year, with 14 units distributed to the city and autonomous districts. For the 863 private distribution units, considering the capacity of hydrogen charging stations, distribution will be phased with 388 units in the first phase and 475 units in the second phase.

This year, 10% of the hydrogen vehicle subsidy allocation will be prioritized for those who replace and purchase hydrogen vehicles after scrapping 5th-grade emission vehicles, persons with disabilities, national merit recipients, independence activists, basic livelihood security recipients, multi-child families, and first-time vehicle buyers.

In addition to the hydrogen vehicle purchase subsidy, various benefits such as tax reductions up to 6.6 million KRW, discounts on public parking fees and highway tolls, and exemption from congestion charges in the Namsan Tunnel will be provided. Furthermore, to prevent fraudulent claims such as false residence registration, the subsidy will be reclaimed if the mandatory operation period (2 years) is not met, and qualification conditions and obligations will be strengthened to ensure transparency in subsidy execution.

Detailed information regarding hydrogen vehicle distribution can be found at the Integrated Call Center and the Ministry of Environment’s Low Emission Vehicle Integrated Website. Especially, the dedicated hydrogen charging station app (APP) HiCare allows users to check the status of hydrogen charging stations nationwide, including Seoul, providing convenient real-time information for hydrogen vehicle operation.

Lee Dong-ryul, Director of the Climate Change Response Division of Seoul City, stated, “Since 37% of fine dust emissions and 19% of greenhouse gas emissions in Seoul come from the transportation sector, Seoul is striving to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases by expanding the distribution of eco-friendly vehicles (electric and hydrogen). We will continue to expand hydrogen charging infrastructure so that citizens can use hydrogen vehicles more conveniently.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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