Water, the electric vehicle charging brand of South Korean renewable energy company Bright Energy Partners, plans to open 23 new fast-charging sites along highways across South Korea.
The company has already opened the first location ahead of the planned October rollout. The expansion will add 123 chargers across highway rest areas, with a focus on higher-power charging for newer electric vehicles.
400 kW Chargers Lead the Expansion
Each of the 23 new charging sites will include at least two ultra-fast chargers rated at 400 kW.
Across the new network, 62 chargers will offer 400 kW output, while another 46 will be rated at 200 kW and 15 at 100 kW. With 400 kW units accounting for more than half of the new chargers, the deployment is particularly suited to EVs using 800-volt and higher-voltage electrical architectures.
All 123 chargers will support both NACS and DC Combo charging connectors.
Water said Tesla vehicles will also be able to use the NACS chargers, with charging power reaching approximately 120 to 200 kW depending on the vehicle model.
First 400 kW Highway Rest-Area Site Opens
The first new station is located at the Cheongju Rest Area on the Seoul-bound side of the Gyeongbu Expressway.
According to Water, the site is the first highway rest-area charging station in South Korea to offer 400 kW charging. It currently features two 400 kW chargers and two additional 200 kW chargers.
The remaining stations will be installed across the Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, Gangwon and Gyeongsang regions.
Water Offers Discounted Charging Rate
To mark the expansion, Water members will be able to charge at all 23 new highway stations for 294 won (€0.19) per kWh for one year from the opening date of each location.
The company said the promotional rate is approximately 100 won (€0.07) per kWh below the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment’s roaming tariff for chargers with output of 200 kW or higher.
The pricing is intended to support adoption of the new highway charging infrastructure while giving EV drivers access to higher charging speeds at major travel corridors.
Network to Reach 397 Highway Chargers
Once all 23 stations are operational, Water’s highway charging network will comprise 397 chargers across 73 rest areas in South Korea.
The company said highway rest areas are particularly important for high-power charging because the time required to recharge directly affects the duration of a driver’s journey.
“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 at Bright Energy Partners.
The expansion will increase the availability of high-power charging along South Korea’s highways and provide additional infrastructure for EVs equipped with higher-voltage charging systems.
