The rapid charging network Water announced on the 11th that it has established rapid charging facilities at four rest areas along the western inland highway, which opened on the 10th, and has begun commercial operation of its first highway rest area charging station.
Water has installed a total of 68 rapid charging facilities at the Pyeongtaekho rest area (up and down) and the Yesan Yedangho rest area (up and down). At the Yesan Yedangho rest area, there are 14 rapid chargers in total with 4 units of 200 kilowatts (kW), 8 units of 100 kW (dual), and 2 units of 100 kW (single). At the Pyeongtaekho rest area, there are a total of 40 rapid and medium-speed charging facilities with 18 units of 100 kW (dual) and 2 units of 30 kW, each totaling 20.
The western inland highway is a route connecting Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, to Iksan, North Jeolla Province. It is the longest route among privately funded highways, with a total length of 137.4 kilometers, and the first phase of the western inland highway project, the Pyeongtaek-Buyeo section, opened on the 10th at exactly 12 p.m.
Yoo Dae-won, head of the electric vehicle charging division at Bright Energy Partners, said, "We will ensure that Water operates and manages the western inland highway as stably as possible so that electric vehicle users can drive with confidence, sharing the traffic volume concentrated on the nearby Gyeongbu Expressway and West Coast Expressway and functioning as the 'second artery' of the western economic zone."