[Gettyimages Bank]
South Korea is trying hard to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 by promoting the use of renewable energy and clean fuels. As of the third quarter of 2022, about 340,700 EVs were registered in the country with a total of more than 25 million registered vehicles. Data released by the trade ministry showed that the domestic sales of EVs are increasing by some 80 percent every year.
About 170,000 private and public EV chargers are installed across the country. However, charging facilities are limited in public areas such as public car parks and multi-purpose facilities. EV drivers should normally wait in line to charge their cars at a charging station in highway rest stops.
Lotte Himart has signed an agreement with Jungang Control to build EV charging infrastructure in parking lots at offline shops. Idle spaces in parking lots will be also used to provide car-sharing services using vehicles provided by mobility service operator SoCar. Anyone can reserve vehicles using a smartphone app. "We are cooperating with our partners leading the mobility sector to reduce carbon emissions as a part of ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) project," Lotte Himart's management support division head Cho Kwang-kyu said in a statement on January 13.
South Korea's capital city has tried hard to expand the establishment of EV chargers in various regions. In May 2022, Seoul unveiled its scheme to install 12,000 chargers in residential areas. A flowerbed of an apartment complex was turned into a parking lot with chargers so they could be used by residents and courier vehicles.
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