Charging Stations

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The government has decided to transform public phone booths into charging stations for electric vehicles in a bid to promote the use of eco-friendly cars. Here’s more..

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A driver takes out a cable for charging electric cars from a public phone booth. Public phone booths provide fast charging services. It takes about half an hour to fully charge an electric vehicle. The fee is around six dollars. Users can pay with credit or public transit cards, and can charge any kind of electric vehicle sold in the nation. The phone booths have been provided by the nation's top telecom provider KT in line with the government's plan to promote electric cars and open more charging stations in a bid to reduce air pollution.

[Soundbite] Oh In-chul(Korea Environment Corporation) : "Drivers of electric cars can easily access charging booths because they are mostly located on the roadside and in residential areas."

There are more than 30,000 public phone booths in Korea. The Environment Ministry has first installed nine charging stations in Seoul, Daegu, Seongnam and Suncheon, and plans to install 20 more stations every year. The government will also install fast-charging stations for electric cars at the rest stops on all expressways in the nation by 2018 as part of its efforts to increase investment into electric vehicles.