Electric cars compete at Jeju expo

SEOGWIPO, Jejudo Island ― Electric automakers are vying to showcase their products at an international EV expo which kicked off for a two-week run here on Friday.

Not only EV makers but also related-business players, including battery and charging station makers, joined the second International Electric Vehicle Expo at the International Convention Center of this resort island.

Among international participants, China’s electric carmaker BYD and U.S.-based EV maker Detroit Electric joined the second edition of this event for the first time. 

“The event will play an important role for Jejudo to present to the world its goal of building an electric car only island by 2020,’’ Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor Won Hee-ryong said in a press conference.

Jejudo’s e-mobility plan is part of its grand vision to transform it into an emission-free island by 2030.

To realize the plan, the governor said the provincial administration will subsidize 1,515 EVs this year, which will lift the number of EVs in Jejudo to 3,000 units by the end of the year.

The administration will push for a plan to build power-charging stations in highways or commercial areas to offer drivers easier access.

The policy direction of Jejudo for zero-emission cars is to turn the island into a testbed of EVs in Korea.

At present, five EV makers ― Nissan, Kia, Renault Samsung, GM and BMW ― are doing business in Jejudo. Market watchers forecast competition will further heat up as more international EV makers, including Tesla, will soon debut in Jejudo.

“Korea is one of the strategically important markets for EV makers in that it has a clear policy direction and detailed roadmap to green cars,’’ Nissan Korea CEO Takehiko Kikuchi told The Korea Herald.

On the first day of the second IEVE, market players announced their 2015 sales target. Renault Samsung said it hopes to sell 1,000 EV cars.

“The company has strategically set its eyes on the electric taxi market to achieve the sales goal,’’ said Park Dong-hoon, the executive vice president of Renault Samsung Motors.

In 2014, SM3 Z.E., the sedan-type EV model of Renault Samsung, took the second spot in EV sales in Jejudo, following Kia Motors’ Soul EV.

Nissan Korea also will drive sales of Leaf, its world’s best-selling EV brand, in Jejudo.

“We are expecting to sell 150 units this year, a tenfold increase from 15 in 2014,’’ Kikuchi said.

By Seo Jee-yeon  (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)