"Connect Charging Cable for One-Step Authentication and Payment" BMW and KEPCO Jointly Develop Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] BMW Group Korea and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) announced on the 11th that they have signed a business agreement to jointly develop a Plug and Charge service that simplifies the electric vehicle charging process. This is the first time such a service is being developed among imported cars in Korea.

This service is a technology that automatically recognizes vehicle information when the charging cable is connected to the electric vehicle, enabling user authentication and payment to be completed in one step. The company explained that it is a next-generation electric vehicle charging method whose infrastructure is rapidly expanding in Germany, Europe, and the United States. Currently, domestic electric vehicle charging is done by card contact, and this service aims to make it more convenient.

BMW Group Korea will receive a PKI-based electronic certificate with security communication technology applied according to international standards from KEPCO. They plan to complete a demonstration of the Plug and Charge service between KEPCO chargers and BMW electric vehicles by the end of this year. Starting next year, BMW pure electric vehicle models sold domestically will be equipped with electronic certificates issued by KEPCO to use this service. It is expected that electric vehicles of other brands will also be able to use this service.

BMW and KEPCO have also agreed to cooperate technologically in the future bidirectional charging and discharging service field, V2G. Dieter Strobl, Director of Research and Development at BMW Group Korea, said, "We plan to expand the charging infrastructure together with KEPCO so that all domestic electric vehicle customers can use the Plug and Charge service."