Gov’t to halt support for EV chargers without fire prevention features

A fire safety manual for electric vehicle charging facilities is posted on a bulletin board at an apartment in Seoul on the 10th. [Photo by Yonhap]

The South Korean government is considering halting support for slow chargers that lack fire prevention features as “electric vehicle phobia” grows in the country. The government has allocated over 70 billion won ($51.33 million) for the support in 2024, but it is highly likely to cut it entirely in 2025.

This move, however, will only apply to new chargers installed from 2025, which means the fire risk for chargers that are already installed remains unchanged.

Although the government and local governments recently came up with fire prevention measures, such as limiting charging rates and above-ground placement of charging stations, critics note that the measures only sparked controversy over their effectiveness while fueling distrust toward electric vehicles.

According to sources on Tuesday, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Environment are discussing plans to eliminate support for slow chargers without a Power Line Communication (PLC) modem, which can prevent fires by receiving battery charge status information and preventing overcharging. The ministries are instead considering expanding support for chargers equipped with the modem.

“We are reviewing the option of excluding slow chargers without fire prevention features from our support list,” a government official said.

The government allocated 74 billion won for general slow charger installations and 80 billion won for fire prevention-type slow chargers for 2024. However, it is expected to cut the budget for general slow chargers entirely while increasing the budget for fire prevention-type slow chargers significantly to over 150 billion won.

The government held an emergency meeting of relevant ministries on the same day, which was presided over by Minister of Government Policy Coordination Bang Ki-sun but said that it would unveil specific measures in September 2024.

Sources said that the government planned to recommend the disclosure of battery manufacturer information and conduct an emergency inspection of sprinklers in underground parking lots of apartment complexes. But there are calls for more practical measures as public anxiety grows over EV fires.

For their part, automakers decided to conduct free inspections of their EVs following the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport‘s recommendation for a special inspection.

Mercedes-Benz Korea Ltd. will begin free inspections from Wednesday, which apply to all EV models equipped with batteries from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), LG Energy Solution Ltd., and SK on Co., as well as the EQE model equipped with the Chinese Farasis battery that caused the most recent fire. The company also released information on its battery manufacturers on Tuesday, which it had refused to disclose before then.

Hyundai Motor Group also announced free inspections for all its EV models on the same day.