[EV Charging Report] Korea, Sufficient Infrastructure but Unpredictable on Highways

(Part 1) Touring Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at Highway Rest Areas
Frequent Errors in Charging Station Malfunction Information Lead to Disappointments Everywhere
Inconsistent Charging Prices and Payment Methods
Long-Distance Electric Cargo Vehicles Porter and Bongo EV
Monopoly Issues at Highway Charging Stations

Editor's NoteAs the cumulative number of electric vehicles (EVs) in South Korea surpasses 500,000, EV charging has emerged as another social issue. Although South Korea is recognized globally for its objective indicators such as EV adoption and charging infrastructure development, there is a growing number of EV owners complaining about charging-related stress. This article examines the causes of problems in the domestic EV charging market, including apartment-centered living arrangements, early government-led infrastructure development, and the proliferation of charging operators due to subsidy support, and summarizes the real issues experienced by actual users through case studies.

On the 23rd, on the Pyeongtaek-Paju Expressway in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, the car dashboard showed the EV battery was only 30% left. Anxiously, I turned on the navigation to find the nearest charging station. It said, "Goyang Rest Area towards Seoul, 1 out of 2 chargers available, 100kW fast charging." Just to be sure, I opened the EV charging app to double-check. However, the situation at the rest area’s EV charging station was completely different from what the navigation and app indicated. One of the two chargers was out of order, and the other was occupied by a Porter EV charging. When I contacted the customer center, they said they could register the malfunction report but currently had no measures to take.

I searched again for a nearby charging station and found two chargers at the Munsan-bound rest area across the highway. However, the chargers displayed a "communication error" indicating they were all out of order. Hoping for the best, I moved to the opposite rest area. Although the app said it was broken, one of the two chargers was actually working. I opened the charging port and connected the connector. When I tried to pay, the charging fee was 430 KRW per kWh? That was about 30% more expensive than slow charging at home. I charged just enough to be able to move and decided to look for a slow charger nearby.

The electric vehicle charging station at Goyang Rest Area located on the Paju-Pyeongtaek Expressway. Although the navigation system indicated that two fast chargers were available, one of the chargers was out of order when actually visited, and a Porter EV was charging at the other charger.
[Photo by Woo Su-yeon]

I got off the highway and headed to a nearby apartment complex. The chargers installed within the apartment complex were only accessible to residents, making access difficult. I found a slow charger in a nearby public parking lot. When I parked and tried to charge, a message appeared saying payment was only available for members. When I contacted the customer center, they said only members could pay for now, and it would take several days to receive a payment card.

On the 25th, the situation was similar at the Man-nam Square Rest Area on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seoul. T-map showed zero available chargers at the rest area. However, when I visited the charging station, there were two chargers, and one was empty. This shows that relying solely on navigation or dedicated EV charging apps to find new charging spots often leads to disappointment. This is also why EV owners insist on charging only at their specific locations such as "home charging (charging station in home parking)" or "work charging (charging station in company parking)."

An electric vehicle charging station at Seoul Mannam Square Rest Area located in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Although T map indicated that the charging station was full and charging was unavailable, the actual charging station was quiet when visited.
[Photo by Oh Gyumin]

It was also notable that at every highway rest area charging station I visited, I saw Porter EVs charging. The Porter EV is the best-selling electric vehicle in South Korea. The cumulative domestic sales of the 1-ton electric trucks Porter and Bongo exceeded 110,000 units as of September this year. Among EV owners, there is a growing issue of Porter and Bongo, which are livelihood cargo vehicles, monopolizing highway charging stations.

So far, the government has been promoting the expansion of electric cargo vehicles by providing subsidies exceeding 20 million KRW, including national, local government, and small business subsidies. This is because the faster the transition of frequently used cargo vehicles to EVs, the greater the carbon reduction effect.

The 1-ton electric cargo trucks (Porter, Bongo EV) monopolizing the highway rest area charging stations [Photo by Online Community]

However, there are criticisms that EV adoption increased without sufficiently establishing charging infrastructure in convenient public places such as highway rest areas. Another problem is that the single-charge driving range of Porter and Bongo EVs, which frequently travel between cities, is only 211 km. Compared to small electric passenger cars like the Kona EV (417 km) and Niro EV (401 km), it is about half. Porter EVs inevitably have to visit charging stations frequently.

Mr. Son Sang-deok (self-employed, 70), a Porter EV owner I met at a highway charging station, said, "The driving range is so short that I have to stop at almost every other rest area on the highway," and added, "Many rest areas in some regions don’t have chargers, and the price differences are severe." He continued, "It’s unacceptable that there is no resident manager despite charging expensive fees. The payment methods vary by charging station, which makes it difficult for older people like us."

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