[Asia Economy Reporter Su-yeon Woo] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia are launching efforts to build charging infrastructure targeting large-scale residential apartment complexes to foster the growth of the domestic electric vehicle (EV) charging ecosystem.
On the 7th, Hyundai Motor and Kia announced that on the 3rd, they signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Engineering and Woori Management at Hyundai Engineering's Gyedong Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to expand EV charging infrastructure in apartments. The signing ceremony was attended by Jung Kyu-won, Head of Hyundai Motor's EV Infrastructure Strategy Office, Choi Jae-hong, Head of Asset Development Sales at Hyundai Engineering, and Kim Young-bok, President of Woori Management.
(From left) Choi Jae-hong, Head of Asset Development Sales at Hyundai Engineering, Jung Kyu-won, Head of EV Infrastructure Strategy at Hyundai Motor Company, and Kim Young-bok, President of Woori Management, are posing for a photo at the MOU signing ceremony for the expansion of apartment electric charging infrastructure. Photo by Hyundai Motor Company
Through this three-party cooperation, Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to apply the EV charging service platform (E-CSP), which is used in their ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure E-pit, to new apartment chargers. Existing E-pit members will be able to charge their vehicles in apartments without separate membership registration.
Hyundai Engineering will leverage its accumulated construction and building asset management expertise to operate apartment charging stations and provide stable services. Hyundai Engineering started its EV charging business in the second half of 2022 and plans to expand the business along with launching a related brand in March.
Woori Management, the leading company in the multi-family housing management industry, will utilize its apartment management network to identify EV charging demand. It will also support the establishment of convenient and reliable EV charging infrastructure by considering factors such as power capacity and other charging infrastructure environments.
Hyundai Motor and Kia launched the ultra-fast EV charging service E-pit in 2021. Currently, they operate 120 chargers at 21 locations. Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to build 20 more locations in the first half of this year so that more EV customers can enjoy the differentiated premium charging service of E-pit, aiming to operate approximately 300 chargers at a total of 58 locations by the end of 2023.
A Hyundai Motor and Kia official said, "Through this MOU, the E-pit platform can now be applied to the apartment charging sector," adding, "Considering the characteristics of the domestic residential environment, we expect to significantly improve the convenience of EV charging in apartments."
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