Chaevi's mobile electric vehicle charging service [Provided by Chaevi]
Chaevi's mobile electric vehicle charging service [Provided by Chaevi]

Mobile charging units will be dispatched to highway rest stops that lack fixed electric vehicle chargers. The service uses 1-ton trucks equipped with energy storage systems (ESS) and fast chargers that travel to wherever they are needed. EV charging company Chaevi is extending the mobile charging service through the end of September to meet demand during the summer holiday travel season.

Chaevi announced Monday that it is extending its operation of the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy's mobile EV charging service consignment project through Sept. 30.

The project deploys mobile charging vehicles to locations where installing fixed charging infrastructure is difficult or where demand spikes at certain times of day. A total of 151 vehicles have been deployed across five regional zones nationwide, with Chaevi operating 38 units in Zone 5, which covers the Gyeongsang region along with Daegu, Busan and Ulsan.

The original operating period was three months. From Feb. 11 to May 11, 677 electric vehicles used Chaevi's mobile charging service, with a total of 13,354.38 kWh of electricity supplied during that period.

Usage showed a steady upward trend. Charging requests were concentrated between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and both monthly usage and total electricity supplied increased over time. On May 21, the service handled 28 requests in a single day, supplying 535.59 kWh — a single-day record.

The mobile charging vehicles are currently stationed at the Yeongdeok rest stop on the Donghae Expressway in the Yeongdeok-bound direction and at the Pohang rest stop in the Pohang-bound direction. Both locations see considerable tourist traffic but have no fixed charging facilities, leaving EV drivers who stop there with no choice but to travel elsewhere to charge.

Chaevi had earlier deployed eight mobile charging vehicles to four locations during the Lunar New Year holiday, including the Pohang and Yeongdeok rest stops as well as the Gunwi and Dongmyeong rest stops on the Jungang Expressway.

Each mobile charging vehicle combines an ESS and a fast charger on a 1-ton truck. When a user submits a charging request via mobile or PC, the nearest vehicle travels to the scene and supplies power on the spot. A key advantage is that sudden spikes in demand can be handled by repositioning vehicles rather than installing new fixed infrastructure.

Mobile charging is, however, primarily a supplement to the existing charging network. As the number of electric vehicles grows rapidly, expanding fixed fast-charging facilities along highways — where long-distance travel is common — remains equally necessary.

Domestic EV demand rose sharply in the first half of this year. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, EV sales reached 199,000 units in the first half, up 113.6 percent from the same period last year, lifting EVs' share of the overall new-car market to 23.3 percent.

Chaevi is also expanding its fixed charging network. Through Korea Expressway Corporation's highway rest stop charging infrastructure program, the company is sequentially bringing 117 fast chargers online at 24 rest stops nationwide, with plans to add 21 more units at three additional locations by year-end. Of those, 85 are 200-kilowatt chargers supporting the NACS standard, allowing Tesla vehicles to charge without a separate adapter.

The company is also developing charging automation technology. Last month, Chaevi said it would participate in a robot-based autonomous EV charging system development project under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's AI application product rapid commercialization support program. The goal is to automate the entire process — locating and opening a vehicle's charging port, connecting the connector, and disconnecting it after charging.

"The mobile charging service is establishing itself as a new alternative that complements existing charging infrastructure and addresses the inconvenience faced by EV users," Chaevi CEO Choi Young-hoon said. "Through this extended operation, we will provide a more stable and convenient charging environment and continue to develop service models capable of meeting diverse charging needs."


kwater@heraldcorp.com