'As Convenient as a Mobile Phone' Seoul City to Distribute 7,000 Electric Vehicle Outlet Chargers Within the Year

Yaksu Heights Apartment, Le Meilleur, and 294 Apartment, Multi-family, Row House, and Office Facilities Selected
No Cost Burden for Citizens

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to actively promote the distribution of ‘electric vehicle outlet-type chargers,’ which can be conveniently charged by plugging into an outlet just like charging a mobile phone. The electric vehicle outlet-type charger installs an outlet embedded with communication equipment and a meter on the wall, eliminating the need to build separate charging facilities occupying a certain area like existing fast and slow chargers.

On the 5th, Seoul announced that it has completed the selection of 294 locations in daily life spaces such as apartments, multi-family and row houses, and office facilities where electric vehicle outlet-type chargers will be installed, and plans to complete the installation of 7,000 units by the end of the year. Outlet-type chargers can be easily installed on the walls of parking lots in apartments and office facilities, minimizing parking conflicts. Electric vehicle users benefit from the convenience of charging within their living radius. Installation costs (around 500,000 KRW) and charging fees are also affordable.

The 294 locations include 260 apartment complexes such as Yaksu Heights Apartment in Jung-gu (11,758 units), 7 multi-family and row houses such as Wellsville Villa in Seongbuk-gu (15 units), and 27 office facilities such as Le Meilleur Jongno Town in Jongno-gu (324 units). Seoul evenly distributed the quantity of electric vehicle outlet-type chargers across all 294 locations that requested installation, aiming for balanced allocation. Office facilities are given priority support as they are used by unspecified users. For multi-family housing, allocation was appropriately distributed within the maximum support range based on the number of parking spaces.

There is no cost burden on citizens. When representatives of multi-family housing or owners or managers of office facilities selected as support recipients negotiate with installation companies (subsidized businesses) for installation, Seoul supports up to 500,000 KRW per charger to the company. Any installation costs exceeding this amount are borne by the company. Seoul selected five operators for the installation and operation of outlet-type chargers through the Local Subsidy Review Committee. Detailed information on installation and maintenance by each subsidized business can be found in the announcement section on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website.

The installation companies will manage and operate the electric vehicle outlet-type chargers for five years. A 24-hour call center will be operated to provide guidance on how to use the outlet-type chargers.

Seoul plans to build more than 200,000 electric vehicle charging facilities by 2025 to minimize inconvenience for electric vehicle users in preparation for the rapidly increasing demand and popularization of electric vehicles. Considering the charging patterns and demand of electric vehicle users, fast chargers will be concentrated at major transportation hubs and public places, while slow and outlet-type chargers will be focused on residential and office facilities.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Director of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “Seoul has installed fast and slow chargers at major hubs considering the charging patterns and demand of electric vehicle users. This outlet-type charger is expected to greatly expand convenience for electric vehicle users as it establishes a charging infrastructure centered around daily living areas such as workplaces, enabling constant charging like a mobile phone. We will continue to build a dense network of charging facilities in line with the expanding trend of electric vehicles.”

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