- Plan to Install Charging Stations in E-Mart Shops Nationwide in Cooperation with BMW Korea
- Starting with Metropolitan Areas and Jeju Island – Expansion Planned for 60 Shops before Yearend

POSCO ICT will be aggressively taking over the electric vehicle charging infrastructure market, starting with E-Mart branches nationwide, in cooperation with BMW Korea.

The company announced the plan in cooperation with BMW Korea and E-Mart to be the first private provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructures in Korea. POSCO ICT will build and manage charging stations and facilities, while E-Mart provides space for such installations.

The 3 companies will first install charging stations in 60 stores of E-Mart in the metropolitan areas including Seoul, as well as Jeju Island within this year, and the number of stations and stores with charging facilities will be added constantly in the near future. The first station is set to start operation in mid-April in line with the launch of the new electric vehicle (i3) from BMW Korea. The companies plan to expand the number of stations to 100 by 2015 and will cooperate with other landmarks and buildings around the country.

The chargers for this project are ‘type 1 - single phase vehicle coupler' that allows the car to run about 50km after charging for about one hour. Full charge from complete discharge takes about 3 hours. The charging infrastructure to be built by
POSCO ICT is compatible with all models of electric vehicles currently available in Korea, as well as the new model from BMW, which is expected to serve as positive foundation to expand the electric vehicle user base.

POSCO ICT will also play a pivotal role in managing the stations – customers can sign up for membership program offered by the company to pay for the charging fee, while being provided with diverse services such as charging stations information.

POSCO ICT currently is operating electric vehicle charging stations in Jeju Island, and its integrated control center provides exceptional services to the drivers. Know-how from existing electric vehicle business will be applied to this upcoming project as well.