Kakao Mobility Launches Pilot Operation of 'Electric Vehicle Valet Charging Service'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] Kakao Mobility announced on the 5th that it will pilot the 'Electric Vehicle Valet Charging Service' in collaboration with the charging service provider Chargebee.

As of August this year, the number of electric vehicles reached 310,000, a 55% increase compared to the previous year, while charging infrastructure remains insufficient. Kakao Mobility will conduct the pilot service at the 'Ediya Coffee Lab' parking lot in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, which operates with 100% valet service, to verify usability ahead of the official service launch. Subsequently, the 'Electric Vehicle Valet Charging Service' will be officially opened within the year, with plans to gradually expand the applicable parking lots.

The usage method involves registering a parking pass within Kakao Navi, then entering the parking lot without a separate reservation process and requesting the service from the valet driver. Through the 'Kakao T Valet' feature in the Kakao Navi app, users can access convenience functions such as ▲pre-requesting exit ▲automatic payment ▲integrated billing for electric vehicle charging and valet services, and can also check ▲service availability times ▲estimated cost information in real time.

The fee is set as the sum of the valet and electric vehicle charging service charges plus a service agency fee. The valet service fee at Ediya Coffee Lab is 3,000 KRW. For the charging service, users can choose between 'Light (9,000 KRW)' and 'Standard (15,000 KRW)' depending on the amount of charge.

Ahn Gyu-jin, Vice President and Head of Business Division at Kakao Mobility, said, “As part of ESG management, we are continuously striving to realize our green mobility vision.” He added, “We will continue to expand various smart services for electric vehicle drivers to enhance user accessibility and convenience.”