SK Rent-a-Car Opens Eco Lounge, a Complex Cultural Space, in Seogwipo, Jeju

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] SK Rent-a-Car, which operates the largest short-term rental car business in Jeju Island, is unveiling a special charging space in Seogwipo to ensure customers can use electric vehicles without anxiety or inconvenience.

SK Rent-a-Car announced that it held an opening ceremony on the 2nd for the newly introduced complex cultural space ‘Eco Lounge’ in Seogwipo, Jeju.

Eco Lounge is a space where electric vehicle users can enjoy both charging and relaxation. SK Rent-a-Car is a mobility service platform leading the domestic electric vehicle rental market. It was established to expand customers’ electric vehicle usage experience. Located on approximately 3,000㎥ near the Jungmun Tourist Complex in Seogwipo, it is scheduled to officially open on the 16th.

Eco Lounge offers an open electric vehicle charging facility available not only to SK Rent-a-Car customers but also to general visitors. In collaboration with Korea Electric Power Corporation, three 100kW rapid chargers and two 7kW slow chargers equipped with V2G technology capable of charging and discharging have been installed. Based on future visitor numbers and charging demand, additional ultra-fast chargers of 400kW will be installed to operate at a scale of about 1,000kW.

Along with this, to provide visitors with a relaxing space, the premium roasting brand ‘Terarosa’ has opened a store. It is a three-story cafe with stylish interior design where visitors can enjoy Terarosa’s top-grade specialty coffee and a variety of food and beverages. For the first time in a Terarosa store, a ‘drive-thru’ has been introduced to enhance visitor convenience.

SK Rent-a-Car is actively participating in Jeju Island’s ‘2030 Carbon-Free Island’ policy and is proactively transitioning to eco-friendly mobility for sustainable growth. To this end, it plans to convert all 3,000 short-term rental cars operating in Jeju to electric vehicles by 2025. This year alone, 1,000 electric vehicles have been converted. It has also announced that it will donate the entire local government subsidy of about 900 million KRW received when purchasing electric vehicles to community contributions.

Following Eco Lounge, the ‘Jeju EV Park (tentative name)’ to be introduced in the second half of next year will be an electric vehicle rental-only complex equipped with charging infrastructure capable of operating 3,000 electric vehicles with a capacity of 7,200kW. It plans to use this as a venue where more than one million customers visiting SK Rent-a-Car’s Jeju branch annually can experience various brands of electric vehicles.

An SK Rent-a-Car official said, “We aim to contribute to creating a culture of eco-friendly mobility use through infrastructure that allows diverse experiences with electric vehicles, beyond simply providing electric vehicles,” adding, “We will expand our electric vehicle-centered business to achieve sustainable growth.”