South Korea pushes for transparency: EV makers may soon be required to reveal battery brands

The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) have reportedly agreed to introduce a system mandating automakers on Sunday, to disclose the battery brand information of all-electric vehicles (EVs). It was during a meeting between senior government officials and PPP officials in South Korea, where the two sides also agreed to launch at an early date a system mandating automakers to get government certification on the safety of the batteries for their EV models, which was initially set to be introduced in February next year.

The move surfaced amid safety concerns and was triggered by a fire that began in a parked Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle on August 1 (2024), which destroyed a parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kms west of Seoul, while either destroying or damaging over 100 cars.

Days later, a fire broke out in a parked EV in Geumsan, 166 km south of Seoul, reports Yonhap news agency.

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

The government and the PPP also agreed to deploy equipment to put out fires in EVs to all fire stations nationwide, conduct free safety checks on EV batteries annually and distribute 90,000 units of "smart chargers" that prevent the excessive charge of batteries.

In addition, underground parking lots in newly constructed buildings will be required to install sprinklers capable of early fire detection and prevention.

After having remained mostly reactive in their responses to such safety fears, car manufacturers are now coming out to actively promote the safety of EVs as they seek to resuscitate the automotive segment that has seen a recent slowdown in demand globally amid the so-called adoption chasm.