Seoul to raise minimum fuel efficiency standard for cars from 2020

The government is moving to further toughen minimum fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, officials said Monday, in an effort to cut down the country’s energy consumption and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

According to officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the government is moving to raise the minimum fuel efficiency requirement of passenger cars to 20 kilometers per liter (km/l) from 2020.

Currently, the country has no minimum requirements, though it is set to begin enforcing a 17 km/l requirement from 2015.

Automakers that fail to meet the minimum requirement can be subject to a fine, the ministry has said.

The move to further toughen the country’s minimum fuel efficiency standards follows similar plans by most advanced nations.

The United States is moving to only allow sales of vehicles that meet the minimum fuel efficiency of 56.2 miles per gallon, or 23.9 km/l, from 2025, with Japan also set to introduce a 20.3 km/l requirement from 2020, according to ministry officials, who requested anonymity.

“The proposed minimum requirement was set after considering the global trend and the country’s development capacity,” the officials said.

The government apparently believes tougher minimum fuel efficiency standards will lead to the development of hybrid or clean-energy cars, such as electric and fuel cell vehicles.

South Korea is currently working to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from its business-as-usual level in 2020. (Yonhap News)