A new service will be piloted at public fast chargers that allows electric vehicle (EV) owners to connect a charging cable and automatically complete authentication, charging, and payment after registering their payment method and vehicle certificate for the first time. This innovation is expected to eliminate the need for card or app authentication for each charging session.
The Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment announced on September 30 that it will hold a demonstration of the 'Plug and Charge (PnC)' technology on October 1 at the Korea Electric Research Institute's Ansan branch in Gyeonggi Province, in collaboration with the Korea Environment Corporation and the Korea Electric Research Institute.
PnC is an international standard-based technology that automatically verifies users through a vehicle's stored certificate when the charging cable is connected, allowing for simultaneous charging and payment processing.
Initially, users must register as members, set up their payment method, and install the vehicle certificate. After this setup, they can simply connect the cable to start charging, with payment automatically processed through the registered method once charging is complete.
While some companies already offer automatic charging and payment services, their availability is limited to specific vehicles and charging stations. The government's verification method will implement a public certification system that can be used by multiple companies, allowing compatibility between different vehicle manufacturers and charging operators.
The demonstration will test compatibility among six domestic and international electric vehicle models and three types of public fast chargers. The vehicles include the Hyundai GV90, Kia EV9, KGM Musso EV, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Tesla Model Y, and BMW iX3, which will be connected to charging stations from Chabi, EVsys, and SK Signet. The demonstration will confirm whether the entire process, from vehicle authentication to charging and payment confirmation, operates smoothly regardless of the manufacturer.
Based on the demonstration results, the ministry plans to begin a pilot operation at 30 public fast chargers next month. This will allow for testing of vehicle and charger compatibility and the payment process in a real-world environment, with plans to address any identified issues and gradually expand the program.
Details about the locations of the pilot charging stations, compatible vehicle models, and application procedures will be made available on the Clean Vehicle Integrated Website following the demonstration.
Jeong Seon-hwa, Director of Green Transition Policy at the Ministry, stated, "This demonstration is an opportunity to verify that automatic charging and payment work properly with actual vehicles and chargers. We will carefully check and address any issues that arise during the pilot operation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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