Water Opens 400kW Ultra-Fast Charging Station at Expressway Rest Area

Starting with the Cheongju Rest Area (Seoul-bound),
123 New Chargers to Open Sequentially at 23 Rest Areas

Brite Energy Partners, which operates the Water electric vehicle high-speed charging network, announced on September 30 that it has opened a charging station equipped with a 400kW ultra-fast charger at the Cheongju Rest Area (Seoul-bound) on the Gyeongbu Expressway. As part of the Korea Expressway Corporation’s initiative to expand charging infrastructure at expressway rest stops, Water plans to sequentially install a total of 123 new chargers at 23 rest areas in the Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, Gangwon, and Gyeongsang regions.

The Cheongju Rest Area (Seoul-bound) charging station is equipped with two 400kW chargers and two 200kW chargers. Each of Water’s 23 new rest area locations will be installed with at least two 400kW chargers. Water plans to begin operations at more than 10 locations in October, after which the remaining charging stations will open sequentially.

Water Cheongju Rest Area Seoul Direction

The advantages of the 400kW charger are most evident with electric vehicles whose maximum charging output exceeds 200kW. For example, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, which features an 800V high-voltage system and an 84kWh battery, supports charging at up to 238kW. This allows the vehicle to utilize its full capability on a 400kW charger and go from 10% to 80% battery capacity in just 18 minutes, according to the manufacturer’s specifications. As more new EVs adopt high-voltage systems resulting in higher charging output, 400kW chargers are equipped to handle both current and future models.

The fee is set at 294 won per kWh for Water members for one year from the opening date of each charging station. This is about 100 won lower than the 393.1 won per kWh public ultra-fast charging fee (for chargers over 200kW) announced by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. Charging 32kWh—enough for the Ioniq 5 to drive about 165km—costs around 9,400 won, saving approximately 3,200 won compared to the public charging rate.

Dae-Won Yoo, Head of the EV Charging Business Unit (Water) at Brite Energy Partners, said, "We plan to open the remaining rest area charging stations according to schedule so that all EV drivers can recharge on the expressway without concern, regardless of their vehicle model."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.