Seoul's Electric Vehicle Chargers Surpass 35,000 Units... Ushering in the Era of 10% Electric Vehicles

At the end of 2020, 8,387 units increased 4 times to 35,216 units as of last September
Expanding streetlight-type chargers and rapid chargers at LPG stations to improve charging accessibility

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As Seoul announced its plan to distribute 220,000 various chargers by 2026 to realize the era of 10% electric vehicles, the number of chargers installed in Seoul has exceeded 35,000, more than quadrupling compared to 2020.

According to Seoul City on the 7th, the number of electric vehicle chargers expanded from 8,387 at the end of 2020 to 35,216 by last September, resulting in a ratio of 1.53 electric vehicles per charger. The city distributed 2,171 rapid chargers at transit parking lots, gas stations, and other daily transportation hubs; 14,848 slow chargers at workplaces and other public facilities; and 18,197 outlet-type chargers in residential areas such as apartments and detached houses.

In particular, starting this year, Seoul is conducting a nationwide first public application contest to discover installation sites through citizen participation. Citizens directly propose locations where they want chargers installed, shifting the policy paradigm to demand-centered support and further improving user convenience, with plans to significantly expand electric vehicle chargers.

Additionally, Seoul plans to install 30 streetlight-type chargers along major roads with heavy vehicle traffic to allow citizens to conveniently charge electric vehicles in daily life, and to install 20 rapid chargers at nine easily accessible liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stations.

Streetlight-type chargers are rapid chargers combined with functions such as streetlights and surveillance cameras (CCTV). They will be expanded mainly along major roads like Wiryesong-daero and Teheran-ro, as well as around residential areas where installation is difficult due to planned reconstruction or lack of underground parking. Furthermore, 200kW rapid chargers will be installed at LPG stations, enabling convenient and fast charging not only for private vehicles but also for taxis and freight trucks.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of Seoul City’s Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “To realize the era of 10% electric vehicles by 2026, we are proactively building electric vehicle chargers while expanding various chargers such as streetlight-type chargers to establish highly accessible charging stations and improve the quality of the charging environment by eliminating blind spots.” He added, “We will continue to strive to expand the electric vehicle charging infrastructure centered on citizen demand.”

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