The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI, Jeongi-yeon) said on the 25th that it has opened the world's first Global Interoperability Test Center (GiOTEC) to swiftly resolve compatibility issues between electric vehicles and chargers and support the growth of related corporations.
At the opening ceremony held at Jeongi-yeon's Ansan branch that day, about 100 people attended, including KERI President Kim Nam-gyun; National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) Chair Kim Young-sik; Ansan Deputy Mayor Heo Nam-seok; Hyundai Motor and Kia Executive Director Lee Seung-seok; Korea Automobile Environmental Association President Jeong Jong-seon; and Keith Beckstead, head of the laboratory at U.S. electric-vehicle charging network corporation "EVgo."
Jeongi-yeon has been pushing to build GiOTEC, a platform that provides consolidation among various electric-vehicle and charger manufacturers, and last year it took steps by successively signing business agreements with leading corporations in the EV sector, such as Hyundai Motor and Kia, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and BMW Korea, as well as multiple charger manufacturers, to establish a test site and set testing standards. After steadily securing member companies to work with the test center and completing advance preparations, it declared the official opening of GiOTEC today as a world first.
Any corporation that passes the technical standards set by the GiOTEC steering committee can become a member of the center and place its electric vehicles or chargers at the test site on a continuous basis for a long period (six months to one year) without additional expense. In this way, members can freely conduct interoperability tests with EVs or chargers from other manufacturers that have entered the center and discuss improvement measures. Nonmembers can also have an opportunity to bring in products for testing for three to five days through a separate application process.
The list of participating corporations and their activities will be disclosed transparently, and, based on manufacturers' consent, test outputs (such as solutions to compatibility issues) will be shared with other member companies. As various analytical data accumulates, product quality can be improved and a foundation will be laid to lead international standards.
President Kim Nam-gyun said, "Because electric vehicles and chargers operate as a single system, mutual compatibility is essential, and as new charging technologies are introduced, countries or corporations that secure relevant standards will hold the initiative in the EV market," adding, "GiOTEC will provide fast and accurate testing for domestic corporations, raise product quality, and greatly help enhance export competitiveness."
Meanwhile, KERI also held a signing ceremony for an MOU with U.S. electric-vehicle charging service corporation "EVgo" to improve the quality of EV charging infrastructure in conjunction with the opening ceremony.