Oh Se-hoon Conducts On-site Inspection of Outlet-type and Streetlight-type Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 23rd, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will visit the site of electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities installed in the Mapo-gu area to inspect their usage status. This is a follow-up action after Seoul announced in last month's 'Comprehensive Plan for Climate Change Response' that it plans to increase the number of EV chargers more than tenfold by 2026 to establish a '5-minute charging network in residential areas.'

Mayor Oh will visit the underground parking lot of Mapo Xi 2nd Apartment, where 30 outlet-type chargers were installed last December. After reviewing the usage methods of the chargers, he will listen to feedback from the facility manager to ensure there are no inconveniences for apartment residents. Unlike existing EV charging facilities, outlet-type chargers can be installed easily by replacing existing outlets with IoT-based outlets without conduit construction, and they do not require securing separate space for EV chargers. This advantage helps prevent resident conflicts caused by parking space shortages. A total of 21,000 units are planned to be installed this year.

Mayor Oh will then move to Mapo Yonggang 1 Public Parking Lot, where Seoul's first streetlight-type rapid chargers were installed and have been in operation since last month, to check the usage status and demonstrate the charging process to ensure there are no inconveniences. The streetlight-type rapid charger is an innovative model that can fully charge an EV in one hour, making it convenient for EV users who need rapid charging during breaks, such as taxi and freight drivers. Six units were installed as a pilot project last year, and ten more will be added this year.

Meanwhile, to minimize charging inconveniences for citizens and quickly establish the foundation for EV transition, Seoul plans to distribute 12,000 of the 22,000 EV chargers scheduled for deployment this year early in the first half. The city aims to swiftly install them by June, focusing on sites requested by citizens.

To further expand EV adoption, the city plans to increase the annual subsidy budget, supporting a total of 2.2 trillion KRW by 2026. This year, a budget of 270 billion KRW will be secured to support 27,000 vehicles, which is about 6,000 more than last year. By 2025, the goal is to support 90,000 vehicles with a significantly increased budget of 730 billion KRW, accelerating the popularization of EVs.

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