Seoul City to Focus on Deploying 7,000 'Electric Vehicle Outlet-Type Chargers'

Distribution of 7,000 Outlet-Type Chargers Starts in Second Half, 200,000 Units to be Distributed by 2025
Focused Installation in Living Spaces Such as Apartments, Multi-family Housing, and Office Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 19th, Seoul City announced that it will distribute 7,000 outlet-type chargers, which have low installation costs and do not require separate installation sites, making them convenient to install in apartment complexes or office facilities, to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Seoul City plans to minimize inconvenience for electric vehicle users by expanding the number of chargers currently installed in the city from 9,000 to more than 200,000 by 2025 in preparation for the rapid increase in electric vehicle demand. As of July, 9,000 chargers are installed in Seoul, which means one charger serves about three electric vehicles.

Outlet-type chargers are a new concept of charging method that is cheaper to install (around 500,000 KRW) compared to existing fast and ultra-fast chargers and attach to parking lot walls instead of requiring separate installation sites, minimizing parking conflicts. Using a 3kW outlet-type charger, a 10-hour charge allows driving over 150 km, and charging is easily possible at homes or offices.

Seoul City will support installation costs up to 500,000 KRW per outlet-type charger and allow up to 100 chargers per apartment complex or building. Additionally, to strengthen post-installation management, owners or charging operators are required to manage and operate the chargers for up to five years. The installation target will be expanded to include facilities jointly used by apartment complexes, multi-family houses, row houses, and private buildings to enhance citizen convenience. Applications for personal use are not accepted.

Representatives of apartment complexes, owners, or managers of office facilities who wish to apply for outlet-type chargers can submit the ‘Outlet-type Charger Installation Application’ starting from the 26th through the Seoul City website (environment section).

Seoul City also plans to expand business participation opportunities for charging operators. Even after selecting the first round of subsidy recipients, if there is remaining quantity and newly qualified operators apply for participation, additional subsidy recipients will be selected and supported through the subsidy review committee without a separate announcement. Eligibility for subsidy applicants includes those registered as electric vehicle charging operators under the Electric Utility Act, and those capable of providing services such as installation, operation, maintenance, and customer response for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Kim Jeong-seon, Director of Seoul City’s Climate Change Response Division, said, “Seoul plans to build various types of charging infrastructure in preparation for the popularization of electric vehicles,” and added, “We ask for much interest and participation in this outlet-type charger distribution project.”

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