From Parking to Charging in One Go... Resolving Inconvenience with 'iParkingEV'

Parking platform company 'ParkingCloud'
Enhancing electric vehicle convenience through data utilization
Collaboration structure with major companies like NHN and SK

The biggest obstacle to the spread of electric vehicles is the 'charging infrastructure.' Because of this, the landscape of media test drives held during the launch of electric vehicles by automakers is also changing. It has become important to let customers who hesitate to purchase electric vehicles experience the convenience of charging.

Charging a Torres vehicle at the Yeongdeungpo Times Square i-Parking EV charging station

KG Mobility launched the mid-size sports utility vehicle (SUV) model 'Torres EVX' in September. Accordingly, a media test drive event was held for four days from July 7 to 10 at Yeongdeungpo Times Square.

In the underground 4th and 5th floor parking lots of Times Square, where the test drive event took place, there is the 'iParkingEV' electric vehicle charging station operated by ParkingCloud, jointly managed by SK E&S and NHN. Participants in the test drive were able to directly experience charging along with driving the Torres EVX vehicle.

iParkingEV operates 10 fast chargers and 27 slow chargers to ensure that electric vehicle customers visiting Times Square for shopping, dining, or work do not experience inconvenience due to charging.

ParkingCloud is Korea's number one parking platform company with a network of more than 6,800 directly managed and affiliated parking lots nationwide. Since launching its electric vehicle charging business in January, it aims to provide 'convenient and economical charging services in daily life' by offering a one-stop solution that allows users to handle everything from parking to charging through a single application (app).

Electric vehicle drivers can use ParkingCloud's integrated parking and charging app 'iParking' to access services such as checking charger information and making payments without a separate physical membership card.

By analyzing entry and exit data from 6,800 iParking lots, the company plans to prioritize the deployment of charging infrastructure in locations with high foot traffic and frequent electric vehicle access, thereby resolving inconveniences for electric vehicle customers using iParking lots.

Ha Tae-nyeon, CEO of ParkingCloud, stated, "By the end of the year, we plan to launch a parking and charging service that simplifies the charger authentication process using LPR (License Plate Recognition) technology."

ParkingCloud is strengthening cooperation with its joint major shareholder NHN and is also joining forces with SK affiliates that have capabilities in the electric vehicle charging business. For stable charging services, the installation of charging infrastructure is being done in collaboration with SK On & S, and IoT communication modems are being provided in partnership with SK Telecom.

Additionally, in May, ParkingCloud signed a business agreement with Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance and subscribed all charging stations to business liability insurance with an annual limit of up to 5 billion KRW to prepare for safety accidents such as fires.