Gwangjin-gu to Secure Over 3,000 Electric Vehicle Chargers by 2025

[Seoul District News] Gwangjin-gu Establishes 'Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Expansion Plan' Accepting Applications for EV Charger Installation Sites on Seoul City Website Until March 31

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) has established a "Plan to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure" in response to the continuous increase in electric vehicle users and is actively working to expand the number of chargers.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, by 2030, electric vehicles are expected to account for 10% of all vehicles, with electric vehicle sales reaching 33% of total sales.

However, many hesitate to purchase electric vehicles due to the lack of chargers. Therefore, the district has set a goal to supply more than 3,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2025 through the "Plan to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure," actively promoting the discovery and installation of charging station sites.

As of January 2022, about 590 electric vehicles are registered in Gwangjin-gu, with 96 charging locations and a total of 280 chargers installed, resulting in a charger supply rate of only 16.3% compared to the number of electric vehicles.

This is mainly due to the high proportion of residential areas making it difficult to secure charging sites, and parking complaints caused by a shortage of parking spaces when installing chargers.

To address this, the district plans to install slow chargers with always-available outlets in apartment complexes, bollard-type and streetlight-type chargers in densely populated single-family and multi-family residential areas where space is limited and complaints arise, and primarily fast chargers at public facilities, LPG filling stations, and gas station sites.

In the first half of this year, three fast chargers and seven slow chargers are scheduled to be installed at four public parking lots in Junggok 3-dong, Neung-dong, Guui 2-dong, and Jayang 4-dong, as well as one administrative garage.

Additionally, Gwangjin-gu is actively participating in the Ministry of Environment and Seoul City’s charger installation public projects to secure budgets, discovering installable sites, strengthening crackdowns on electric vehicle charging obstruction acts, and focusing on promoting the installation of outlet-type chargers that can be charged via a simple outlet without the need for separate sites for the private sector.

Furthermore, regarding electric vehicle charger installation, Seoul City is accepting applications for charger installation sites until March 31.

Anyone?individuals, corporations, or businesses?wishing to install chargers can apply directly through the Seoul City website. The maximum subsidy per charger is 14.5 million KRW for fast chargers, 2 million KRW for slow chargers, and 600,000 KRW for outlet-type chargers. However, applications may close early once the budget is exhausted.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, stated, “By installing chargers with consideration for accessibility and convenience, all residents can easily use electric vehicles. We will focus our efforts on leading the era of zero-emission vehicle popularization and creating a clean living environment.”