A highway near Manghyang Service Area (toward Busan) in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, which is blocked by cars leaving home on the 10th, one day before the Lunar New Year holiday. yunhap news
Choi Mo (50), an office worker who drives an electric car BMW i3. Coming to work by car, he returned home by train during the Lunar New Year holidays. It is because of the hard experience of traveling back home, Changwon, in an electric car last year. The mileage that can be run with a single charge is about 250km. I had to recharge once in the middle of my way home, but it wasn’t easy. He said, “I wasn’t clogged, but I had to spend an hour waiting at the charging station I managed to find, and 30 minutes to charge it,” he said. “There are electric vehicle charging stations everywhere in Seoul, so I didn’t know the big inconvenience. He said.
It is expected that the return of the electric vehicle family during the Lunar New Year holiday will be a continuation of asceticism. He had a hard time charging electric vehicles at roadside stations nationwide on the way home, which started in earnest on the 10th. Among the rapidly growing electric car families on the’Tesla Boom’, many of them left home with an electric car at home.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 11th, the cumulative number of electric vehicles supplied as of the end of last year was 13,4962. However, the number of chargers is around 3,4723 units. Of these, 9805 fast chargers can be fully charged in about 30 minutes. However, the charging infrastructure is concentrated in the metropolitan area. It is not easy to recharge at the desired time when moving to a region like the Lunar New Year holidays.
Compared to gas stations, the discomfort is noticeable. Expressway Rest Area Gas stations are often ample, with five or more gas stations per facility. However, most electric vehicle charging stations are at the level of 1 or 2 quick chargers. Charging time also takes over 30 minutes. You have to wait at least 1 to 2 hours when the cars are driving at once, like on the way home. Kim Hyun-sik (38), the owner of an electric vehicle, said, “It is better to install charging stations at rest areas on the highway, but the national road is worse,” he said. “Even if you visit a charging station, the charger may not work properly.”
When the temperature drops below freezing, the electric vehicle’s mileage drops sharply to the normal 60-70% level. When running in winter like the Lunar New Year holidays, the number of charging times should be increased. According to the Ministry of Environment, the maximum mileage ratio when the fully charged electric car was driven at 25 degrees below zero was 84.7% for Tesla Model S, 70.7% for Hyundai Ionic, 76.5% for Kona, and 78.7% for Kia Niro EV.
If you leave home by electric car, you need to fully charge it before departure. Visit the Ministry of Environment’s EV charging station homepage (www.ev.or.kr) to check the location of the electric vehicle charging station and the type of charger in advance.
Sejong = Reporter Kihwan Kim [email protected]