Jeju EV expo kicks off next week

Hoping to become a “Davos Forum for eco-friendly vehicles,” the International Electric Vehicle Expo kicks off its fourth year on March 17 in Jeju and will offer diverse business-to-business events related to electric vehicles including car displays, discussion sessions and market opportunities.

Under the theme “The Future of EV, Eco-Revolution,” this year’s expo will be held at the Yeomiji Botanical Garden and areas near the Jungmun Tourist Complex. “Using the botanical garden as the main display venue emphasizes the eco-friendly concept of this year’s event,” said Kim Dae-hwan, chairman of the expo, during a press briefing on Tuesday in central Seoul.

Along with the city government of Jeju, three ministries - the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport - have organized an international forum, a rare occasion since the three have been working independently on issues related to eco-friendly vehicles until now.

A total of 155 business entities, including automakers, battery manufacturers and auto parts suppliers, will participate in the event. Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Renault Samsung Motors and Daelim Motor will have booths displaying their latest work in green cars. GM Korea will display its Bolt EV, a yet-to-be-launched electric vehicle that can run 380 kilometers (120 miles) on a single charge, the longest so far in Korea. Daelim Motor, a motorcycle manufacturer, will unveil six types of two-wheeled electric vehicles, including the EV400 and Appeal, for the first time.

“The expo is exclusively focused on full electric vehicles, which is why a lot of global players are showing interest in it,” Kim said.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]