South Korea to issue legislative notice for new EV safety regulations

Seoul, Sep 9 (IANS) The transport ministry here said on Monday it plans to issue a legislative notice for new government regulations regarding electric vehicle (EV) safety, announced last week in response to public concerns over EV fires.

The ministry said the legislative notice for amendments to the enforcement regulations of the Automobile Management Act will be issued for 40 days, from Tuesday to October 21, reports Yonhap news agency.

Last week, the government said its EV battery certification system that was scheduled to go into effect next February will launch early on a trial basis in October. Companies will also be required to disclose key information on the batteries, including their brand and main components.

The plan was announced to address a public EV fire scare that started last month after a spontaneous fire in a parked Mercedes-Benz electric model wiped out an apartment complex parking lot while damaging over 100 vehicles.

The ministry said the new measures aim to ensure the public's right to know regarding EV safety and added it was committed to improving relevant systems and regulations to further enhance the safety of EVs.

Late last month, the government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed to introduce a system mandating automakers to disclose the battery brand information of all electric vehicles (EVs).

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

Days later, a fire broke out in a parked EV in Geumsan, 166 km south of Seoul. Automakers have voluntarily released the information of battery brands used in their electric vehicles following the incident.

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.

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