EV chargers could become small businesses if proposal passed

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EV chargers could become small businesses if proposal passed

An electric vehicle is being charged at a charging station in the parking lot of Yongsan Station in Seoul on Thursday. [NEWS1]

An electric vehicle is being charged at a charging station in the parking lot of Yongsan Station in Seoul on Thursday. [NEWS1]

 
Korean electric vehicle owners will be allowed to rent out their EV chargers if government proposed legislative amendments are passed.
 
EV chargers will soon be shared like houses on Airbnb. 
 
If the amendments to the Electric Utility Act are passed, privately-owned EV chargers will be able to generate revenue. Installing EV charging facilities at gas stations will also be permitted, and areas where drones can be flown freely will also be gradually increased.
 
The Yoon Suk-yeol government announced such proposals during the second meeting of the Economic Regulation Innovation task force on Monday. A total of 36 regulations for change were identified. 
 
Under the current law, car owners can rent out an EV charger only if they register as an EV charging company. The new law would allow for private EV chargers to be rented out in the form of online services or applications. As of now, temporary easing of regulations on some sharing services are being implemented, but when this ends, the sharing restrictions will be completely lifted. A government official explained that it will be a similar system to Airbnb.
 
It will also become easier to install EV chargers inside gas stations. Since gas stations are regulated for internal combustion vehicles, standards such as requiring EV charging facilities to be placed more than a certain distance from gas pumps are very strict. These standards are to be relaxed. The government is proposing an improvement to the relevant standards so that EV charging facilities can be installed inside gas stations according to the structure of gas stations and situations surrounding safety measures.
 
The maximum load capacity of package trucks, currently set at 1.5 tons, will be expanded to 2.5 tons, if the bills are passed. Loading capacities will be increased in line with the increase of deliveries as online sales increase. For corporate taxis, which could only change shifts within garages, regulations will be improved so that shift changes can be made outside of garages. 
 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho speaks at the second meeting of the Economic Regulation Innovation task force on Monday. [NEWS1]

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho speaks at the second meeting of the Economic Regulation Innovation task force on Monday. [NEWS1]

 
Self-driving robots weighing less than 60 kilograms will be allowed to enter public parks. Presently, access to public parks for powered devices is completely prohibited according to the Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas, but the robots will be excluded from the subject of access restrictions. This is intended to promote the use of autonomous robots for shuttle and delivery services. Additionally, Drone Special Areas, where drones can be flown freely, will be extended from the current 33 areas.
 
“We expect a total of 1.8 trillion won ($1.3 billion) in corporate investment through economic regulation innovations,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho. “We will save people’s livelihoods and the economy by creating high-quality jobs through regulatory innovation.”
 

BY JEONG JIN-HO [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]
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