Electric Vehicle Chargers, Mandatory Installation in Existing Buildings

Infrastructure Expansion and Increased Convenience
Public Sector Charging Facilities Opened to Private Sector

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[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The government has decided to impose an obligation to install electric vehicle chargers in existing buildings as well. This is to expand the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and enhance user convenience. Electric vehicle chargers established and operated by the public sector will be opened to the private sector.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that the partial amendment to the "Act on the Development and Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Automobiles (Eco-friendly Vehicle Act)" containing these details was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 20th.

The amended law will take effect six months after its promulgation. With the approval of the Eco-friendly Vehicle Act amendment, the obligation to install electric vehicle chargers will be expanded not only to new buildings but also to existing buildings. The "Electric Vehicle Charger Mandatory Installation System" was introduced in 2016 to spread electric vehicle chargers mainly in residences and public-use facilities such as apartments. However, a limitation has been pointed out that the mandatory installation target was limited to newly constructed facilities that received building permits after the system was introduced. As of 2019, newly constructed apartment and public-use buildings (based on permits) numbered only 70,000, while existing buildings reached 1.4 million. This means that over 95% of the 1.47 million apartments and public-use facilities were not subject to the electric vehicle charger installation obligation.

However, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to determine the specific mandatory installation ratio and implementation schedule through amendments to the enforcement decree. They are also considering increasing the mandatory installation ratio for new buildings. A ministry official explained, "Currently, one charger is required per 200 parking spaces in new buildings, and we are pursuing a plan to increase this to five chargers per 100 parking spaces. For existing buildings, the mandatory installation ratio will be set lower, and considering the costs and time required for installation, a grace period will be provided."

Additionally, the amendment includes provisions requiring the public sector?including national and local governments and public institutions?that establish and operate electric vehicle chargers to mandatorily open them to the private sector within the scope that does not interfere with security and official duties. This is to allow residents of multi-family and row houses, who are not subject to the mandatory installation of electric vehicle chargers, to use nearby public charging stations.

To increase the utilization of electric vehicle chargers, the authority to crack down on illegally parked general vehicles in electric vehicle charging spaces and impose fines will be transferred from metropolitan local governments to basic local governments to enhance enforcement effectiveness. Along with this, to improve the economic feasibility of hydrogen charging businesses, rental fees will be reduced by up to 80% when installing hydrogen charging stations on national and public land, and at least one hydrogen charging station will be mandated in innovation cities and their adjacent areas.

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