Kia to verify vehicle-to-vehicle charging technology for electric vehicles

By Kim Joo-heon Posted : November 21, 2022, 14:55 Updated : March 2, 2023, 14:16

[Gettyimages Bank]

SEOUL -- Kia, affiliated with South Korea's Hyundai auto group, joined forces with domestic electric vehicle (EV) charging service provider TBU to verify vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) charging technology that enables a driver charge an EV's battery by connecting to another EV using a cable. The technique can be used for the development of mobile EV charging services.  

The EV charging platform startup company was approved by South Korea's industry ministry to launch a mobile EV charging service through a regulatory sandbox policy that exempts regulations. Previously, it was not easy to commercialize mobile charging services as there was no safety operation or law regulating such services. TBU is operating "Elecvery," an app that provides information regarding EV charging stations.
 
Kia said in a statement on November 21 that consumers will be able to exchange power by linking two vehicles using a charging cable through the new V2V service. If the transaction system is expanded into a platform business, drivers can also make profits by selling the remaining electric power. There is no need to move to separate charging stations or install additional charging infrastructure.  
 
Kia hopes to develop V2V fast charging technology capable of significantly reducing charging time. The company is currently operating a V2V service using trucks with batteries and chargers installed in the loadspace. However, the existing V2V system is expensive to renovate and takes a long time to charge vehicles.

South Korea, which had a renewable energy dependency rate of 4.8 percent in 2020, is trying to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. About 45,000 EVs were registered in Seoul as of May 2022. The number of EV chargers in Seoul will increase from more than 20,000 to 35,000 at the end of 2022.
기사 이미지 확대 보기
닫기