Accelerated, South Korean Government Requires Openness Of Electric Car Battery Information

Photo illustration. (Doc. Pexels)

JAKARTA The South Korean government and the ruling party, the People Power Party (PPP), have agreed on a rule to introduce a system that requires car manufacturers to disclose battery brand information from all electric vehicles (EVs).

Yonhap News Agency reported, quoted Monday, August 26, in a meeting last Sunday between top government officials and PPP, the two parties agreed to immediately launch a system requiring automakers to obtain government certification on battery security for their EV models, which was originally scheduled to be introduced in February next year.

The move comes amid safety concerns sparked by a fire that broke out in a parked Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle on August 1, which destroyed a parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, also damaged more than 100 cars in the vicinity.

Not only that, a few days later, another fire broke out in an EV parked in Geumsan, 166 km south of Seoul.

Automakers have voluntarily released information on battery brands used in their electric vehicles after the incident.

The government and PPP also agreed to deploy equipment to extinguish fires on EVs to all fire stations across the country, carry out free safety checks on EV batteries every year, and distribute 90,000 units of "smart chargers" that prevent excessive battery charging.

In addition, the basement parking garage in newly built buildings will be required to install sprinklers, tools capable of detecting and preventing early fires.