Public Charging Discounts for Electric Vehicles Boost Usage by 9.2%

Charging usage for electric vehicles increased by 9.2% due to a discount policy implemented during weekends and holidays. Based on the success of the spring program, the government plans to continue the discount initiative in the fall months of September and October.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment released the final results of the 'Spring Weekend and Holiday Public Charging Discount' program on June 11, which ran from April 18 to May 31.

This initiative was aligned with a seasonal and time-based electricity rate reform that began in April. The goal was to encourage electricity consumption during spring weekends when renewable energy generation is relatively high by temporarily lowering public electric vehicle charging fees.

The discount applied to charging sessions conducted on weekends and holidays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., benefiting electric vehicle drivers using public chargers operated by the Ministry and Korea Electric Power Corporation. The discount ranged from 40.1 to 48.6 won per kWh, accounting for approximately 12 to 15% of the total charging fee.

During the program, approximately 79,114 charging sessions took place across about 13,000 public chargers nationwide, with an average daily usage increase of 9.2% compared to the period before the discount was implemented.

By operator, the Korea Automobile Environmental Association managed 60,920 sessions at Ministry-operated chargers, while 18,194 sessions occurred at Korea Electric Power Corporation chargers.

The total discount provided to users during this period amounted to approximately 75,458,441 won, with 61,265,591 won for Ministry charger users and 14,197,850 won for Korea Electric Power charger users.

This initiative also served as a preliminary assessment of the charging fee structure and operational system ahead of the planned introduction of a time-of-use charging rate system. The Ministry stated that the discount policy successfully alleviated charging cost burdens and promoted electricity usage during periods of high renewable energy supply.

Based on the results from the spring program, the Ministry plans to review and enhance the charging facility operation system and fee application system before resuming the discount policy in the fall months of September and October.

Jeong Seon-hwa, Director of Green Transition Policy at the Ministry, stated, "This policy was designed to encourage electricity usage during times of high renewable energy supply and expand user benefits. It has become a meaningful first step in assessing the operational system ahead of the future introduction of a time-of-use charging rate system."