'Speed bumps transformed into electric vehicle chargers'... Gyeonggi-do regulatory sandbox pilot approval

Castopher-type Electric Vehicle Charger Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Car stopper-type electric vehicle charging services have overcome the hurdles of current regulations, enabling convenient charging without securing separate electric vehicle charging facility spaces.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 27th that five regulatory sandbox projects, including the 'Charging Service Using Car Stopper-Type Chargers' which the province consulted on, passed the demonstration exemption approval at the 4th Industrial Convergence Regulatory Special Committee of 2022 held by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 20th. The other four projects are similar or identical to previously approved exemptions, including one mobile charging service and three shared beauty salon services.

The regulatory sandbox is a system that grants special exemptions by waiving or deferring current regulations for a certain period on new products and services using new technologies to enable market launch, testing, and verification for innovative growth in new industries. Companies wishing to utilize this system must obtain approval from relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Financial Services Commission.

The car stopper-type electric vehicle charging service by Dorusco EV, which received demonstration exemption approval through Gyeonggi Province's consulting, involves installing electric vehicle chargers made in the form of car stoppers?parking blocks or wheel stops?on parking lot floors. When a vehicle is connected to the charger, slow charging occurs, allowing charging without a separate charging space. The issue was that under the current 'Enforcement Rules of the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Act,' electric vehicle chargers are electrical products subject to safety confirmation and require KC safety confirmation registration; however, the new type of charger, the car stopper-type charger, could not obtain KC certification.

The committee approved the exemption considering ▲ the charger’s unique form ▲ minimal installation space constraints ▲ and its floor location which facilitates use by vulnerable traffic users.

Accordingly, the applicant company plans to sell a total of 1,000 sets of chargers in parking lots within Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Busan during the demonstration period to provide the service.

The province provided various customized consulting services for the company’s demonstration exemption approval, from application preparation to market research and advice on issue negotiation and adjustment through legal experts. With this demonstration exemption approval, the province expects the expansion of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure necessary for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market.

Meanwhile, the province plans to increase the budget for the 2023 regulatory sandbox activation support project to expand consulting and the number of approved companies. Small and medium-sized enterprises located in the province that wish to use the regulatory sandbox system or are approved companies can apply through the EasyBiz system.

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