[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 11th that following the introduction of 12 eco-friendly electric city buses in August, it will also prioritize the distribution and operation of 12 electric taxis.
Electric taxis in Jinju City receive subsidies of up to 16.5 million KRW per vehicle, which is 2.5 million KRW more than for regular passenger cars.
The electric taxis of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 models released this year have significantly improved driving ranges, capable of traveling up to 400 km on a single charge. Switching to electric taxis offers the advantage of fuel cost savings and exemption from the 'day-of-week driving restrictions.'
Jinju City is providing various support benefits and charging infrastructure information to 15 taxi company operators and individual taxi drivers, and plans to continuously expand the number of electric taxis supplied.
By the end of October this year, Jinju City supported the distribution of a total of 1,086 electric vehicles, including 657 passenger cars, 12 city buses, 99 freight vehicles, and 58 two-wheelers, with a budget of 16.5 billion KRW.
A Jinju City official stated, "We hope for great interest from transportation company operators and citizens so that quiet and comfortable electric city buses and taxis can be widely distributed," adding, "We will continue to expand the supply of electric public transportation vehicles such as city buses and taxis to accelerate the transition to eco-friendly vehicles."
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