Seoul limits EV charging at public fast-chargers to 80%

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will allow EVs to charge only up to 80% state of charge (SoC) at public fast-chargers to limit the time they stay plugged in and essentially block a charging station.

The measure will be implemented by the end of the year and, according to a local media report, will be applied to a total of 400 100-kilowatt ultra-fast chargers owned by the government.”

The local government is not the first to come up with the idea. Just a few weeks ago, VW subsidiary Electrify America kicked off a pilot at ten locations in the US in July. There, EVs can only charge their batteries up to 85 per cent SoC. As mentioned above, the goal is to reduce congestion and free up the chargers more quickly for other EVs. For the last 20 or so per cent, the charging speed is reduced to avoid overcharging the battery for durability and safety reasons.

This comes just after Seoul City signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LG Electronics, under which the latter will install more than 50 public fast-chargers in the South Korean capital by 2026. It will also provide “slow” chargers, though there is no mention as to how many of these will be installed.

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com (charging limit), ajupress.com (LG Electronics)