Although the electric car is gathering popularity as an eco-friendly transportation means, many people have a common misunderstanding that the mileage will be shorter than that of normal cars. (Image : Yonhap)
CHANGWON, Dec.28 (Korea Bizwire) – Although the electric car is gathering popularity as an eco-friendly transportation means, many people have a common misunderstanding that the mileage will be shorter than that of normal cars.
Changwon city, Gyeongnam province, which is the ‘Leading City of Electric Cars’ designated by the Ministry of Environment, made an attempt to drive an electric car to Seoul and back to Changwon. The results were successful.
To test the running efficiency of electric cars, an employee at the Changwon Ecology and Traffic department drove the Spark EV; a small sized electric car manufactured by GM Korea, from the Changwon city hall to Seoul Station and back to where it started. It was a 760 kilometer course passing the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, Yeongdong Expressway and Gyeongbu Expressway.
There are 6 public high-speed battery chargers located en route.
There are 6 public high-speed battery chargers located en route. (Image : Yonhap)
It took 5 hours on the highway from Chilwon toll gate to Seoul toll gate. The vehicle ran at a speed of 100~110 kilometers per hour, and made all 6 stops to charge the cars battery.
The power consumption was 67kW(fuel efficiency of 5.7㎞/㎾h) which is approximately 8,000 won worth of electricity. Currently, public high-speed battery chargers are free.
The largest crisis during the drive occurred between the Chilwon toll gate and Gimcheon JC on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway. Between the 115 kilometer expressway, there was not one high-speed battery charger.
The driver had to go the Changnyeong Resident’s Gym which is 3 kilometers apart from Changnyeong IC to charge the vehicle.
Other than that one particular route, there was a high-speed battery charger every 30~60 kilometers.
Officials of the Ecology and Traffic department of Changwon say that long distance drives could be possible in the near future. “If electric cars that can run 250 kilometers after charging are developed, and more high-speed battery chargers are installed over the nation, soon electric cars could be running the highways without any difficulties.”
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
