Electric buses, Smart Chargers : Seoul is really getting serious

Last March, we mentioned a revolutionary technology tested by Seoul for its public transportation system ("KAIST unveils OLEV, the On-Line Electric Vehicle"). The capital city is also pushing aggressively more classic electric solutions : the first 15 electric buses will operate starting this November around Namsan, 34 during the first half of next year, and 3,800 by 2020, the rest of the fleet being converted to hybrid technologies.

The green color doesn't come as a surprise, but "more classic" doesn't mean "non innovative" : composite materials minimize the vehicle's weight, and batteries can be charged in only 20 mn for a 120 km ride (maximum speed : 100 km/h).

Seoul is also multiplying charging facilities for personal electric vehicles across the capital (government offices, large retailers) : from 41 to 130 by the end of this year !

Pilot payment systems (LG CNS solutions) are already tested in two Seoul City Hall annexes (Seosomun and Namsan) : car owners must register at the Seoul Metropolitan Government to enjoy Smart Chargers for free during the trial period.

Yeah, yeah, but as Germans know, electricity itself is not always clean. True, but city officials even prepared a preventive answer to that relevant claim : "even when considering greenhouse gases emitted by the power plant producing electricity, more than 40 tons of greenhouse gases can be reduced per bus in a year". And as we know, citizens will be able to measure the impacts (see "Clean Air Seoul").

Seoul Village 2010


* "Environment-friendly Electric Buses to Start Operation in Seoul"