Korea to convert pay phone booths into rapid EV charging stations

[THE INVESTOR]   KT linkus and the Ministry of Environment will embark on a partnership project to transform pay phone booths into rapid charging stations for electric vehicles to expand the EV market.

KT linkus will team up with the Korea Environment Corporation affiliated with the Environment Ministry to install nine EV rapid charging stations in Seoul, Seongnam, Daegu and Suncheon, starting its service from July 15. 

“We are planning to cooperate with governments, local authorities and car rental service providers to improve the EV charging infrastructure, which will surely encourage EV converts,” said a KT linkus official on July 14.

Fast chargers can fully charge an EV in just half an hour, shaving a tenth of 4 to 6 hours by conventional chargers. The use rate is 313.1 won per kilowatt-hour.

A vast network of urban quick-charging stations will be established by converting 20 public phones into EV stations each year.

KT linkus has been operating the conventional EV charging stations in three different regions in Seoul as a joint project with Seoul Metropolitan Government and Hancar, a car sharing service provider since February 2015.

By Yun Jeong-hyeon (clareyun@heraldcorp.com)