Authors
Dr. Kyeong-Pyo Kang | Director / Senior Research Fellow, Center for Connected and Automated Driving Research, Korea Transport Institute
Dr. Taehyung Kim | Director / Senior Research Fellow, Center for Smart City and Transport, Korea Transport Institute
Dr. Jiyoung Park | Director / Research Fellow, Division for Mobility Strategy & International Cooperation, Korea Transport Institute
Dr. Sunghoon Kim | Associate Research Fellow, Center for Smart City and Transport, Korea Transport Institute
Executive Summary
1. Current State of Vehicle Use in Korea
- Vehicle Registration:
- As of 2023, 506 vehicles per 1,000 people (increasing)
- Fuel Use (2023):
- Gasoline: 47%
- Diesel: 37%
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG): 7%
- Hybrid (Gasoline/Diesel): 6%
- Electricity: 2%
- Gasoline and diesel dominate (84 %), but a transition to low-carbon fuels is critical to reduce GHG and pollutant emissions.
2. Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs)
- Types:
- Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs).
- Number of registered ZEVs (2023): BEVs: 543,530 / FCEVs: 34,258
3. Charging and Fuelling Infrastructure
- BEV Fuelling:
- Koren government investment in public charging structure since 2011.
- EV-to-charger ratio is below 2 vehicles per charger as of 2023 thanks to aggressive investment; total number of public chargers: 305.309
- Most public chargers are slow charging points (270.923); fast chargers comprise 11% of total public chargers (2023, 34.386)
- Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRSs): 311 dispensing points as of 2023.
4. Legal Framework for Electric Mobility
- Air Quality Conservation Act (1991)
- Act on promotion of development and distribution of environment-friendly motor vehicles (2005)
- Framework act on carbon neutrality and green growth for coping with climate crisis (2022)
5. Incentive Systems
- FCEV Incentives:
- Purchase subsidies: Up to KRW 22.5 million for cars, KRW 260 million for busses, KRW 250 million for trucks, KRW 720 million for refuse trucks.
- Fuel subsidies: KRW 3,700–4,100 per kg for commercial vehicles.
- Highway toll and public parking fee reductions (50%).
- BEV Incentives:
- Purchase subsidies: Up to KRW 8 million for cars, KRW 100 million for buses, and KRW 15 million for light-duty trucks.
6. Challenges and Future Plans
- 2030 Targets:
- 4.2 million BEVs and 30,000 FCEVs.
- Infrastructure plan: 1.085.000 slow chargers, 145.000 fast chargers, and 660 HRSs
- Barriers Identified: EV market growth slows; EV safety concerns, including thermal runaway; limited home charging access for multi-unit dwelling residents; hydrogen production and supply, especially green hydrogen.
- Actions:
- Proactive efforts in policy and technology.
- Research and customer surveys to address barriers.
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