South Korea: Water to open 23 fast-charging sites with 400 kW chargers

Water, the EV charging brand of South Korean renewable energy company Brite Energy Partners, has announced plans to open 23 new fast-charging sites along highways across the country. It has already opened the first site ahead of the scheduled October start.

Image: Water Charging

Each new charging station will feature at least two ultra-fast chargers with a power output of 400 kW. In total, the expansion will add 123 chargers along South Korean highways, including 62 rated at 400 kW, 46 at 200 kW, and 15 at 100 kW. With 400 kW chargers accounting for more than half of the total, the expansion will particularly benefit customers of EVs with 800-volt and higher-voltage architectures.

All 123 chargers will offer both NACS and DC Combo connectors. Water says Tesla EVs will be able to charge faster than before through NACS, with power output reaching approximately 120 to 200 kW depending on the model.

The company is building the new charging stations in Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, Gangwon, and Gyeongsang regions. The first site, located in Cheongju Rest Area on the Seoul-bound side of the Gyeongbu Expressway, is South Korea’s first charging station to offer 400 kW chargers at a highway rest area. In addition to the two 400 kW chargers, it has two 200 kW chargers.

As a promotional offer to celebrate the launch, Water’s members will be able to charge their EVs at all 23 new highway charging stations at a rate of 294 won (0.19 euros) per kWh for one year from each station’s opening date. The company says this is about 100 won (0.07 euros) per kWh lower than the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment’s roaming tariff for 200 kW or higher output chargers.

Once all 23 new highway charging stations are open, Water will have a network of 397 chargers at 73 rest areas along highways across South Korea. “Highway rest areas are essentially the only locations where charging speed directly impacts a driver’s time, which is why we chose to participate in the Korea Expressway Corporation’s infrastructure expansion project by deploying the highest-output chargers available,” said Yoo Dae-won, Head of the Electric Vehicle Charging Business Unit (Water) at Bright Energy Partners.