Gyeonggi Province Reviews Fire Prevention Measures for Electric Vehicle Charging in Apartment Building Parking Lots

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] In response to growing public concerns over electric vehicle fires, Gyeonggi Province has begun reviewing fire prevention measures for electric vehicles, including support for relocating underground parking lot charging areas to ground level, expanding fire prevention facilities, and providing expert on-site consultations.

Under the current Eco-Friendly Automobile Act, facilities newly constructed after January 28, 2022 must install dedicated electric vehicle parking spaces and charging facilities of at least 5% of total parking spaces, while previously built facilities must have at least 2%. For apartment buildings with 100 or more units, the deadline is January 27, 2025. However, there are no regulations regarding installation location, and most apartment buildings constructed around 2010 planned their parking lots underground.

Accordingly, the province decided to review more practical and effective measures to ease public concerns and strengthen fire safety in electric vehicle charging areas.

First, the province will review a plan to support relocation costs for apartment buildings with above-ground parking lots that wish to move underground charging areas to ground level. Currently, when establishing new dedicated electric vehicle charging areas, charging operators bear the costs not covered by government subsidies from the Ministry of Environment. However, when relocating already-installed charging areas, costs may arise, and from the charging operators' perspective, apartment residents must bear the entire cost. Therefore, if residents feel burdened by costs and delay relocation, resident anxiety could persist.

Second, for cases where relocating charging areas to ground level is impossible, the province will review a plan to support fire prevention facilities such as foam fire extinguishers, bottom water spray systems, and mobile fire extinguishing water tanks. Most recently constructed apartment buildings have above-ground areas converted to parks, making it realistically difficult to relocate electric vehicle charging areas to ground level for these buildings due to the need to create new parking spaces above ground.

Third, the province plans to conduct a full-scale survey on whether sprinkler systems and other fire prevention facilities installed in apartment building underground parking lots are functioning properly. Under the current Fire Prevention Facilities Installation and Management Act, apartment buildings must conduct operational inspections at least once annually. Additionally, the province plans to review demonstrations using AI technology for early fire hazard detection and rapid response in case of electric vehicle fires.

Finally, the province will utilize Gyeonggi Province's apartment building technical advisory group to provide on-site consultations from private experts to complexes looking to relocate charging areas or upgrade fire prevention facilities, offering the most suitable measures for each complex's circumstances. The province will also strengthen counseling to resolve conflicts between residents regarding electric vehicles, such as restricting access to underground parking lots, pursuing multi-faceted measures.

Meanwhile, the province plans to hold a roundtable discussion on fire safety for electric vehicle charging areas in apartment building underground parking lots in September. The discussion will include representatives from the provincial council, private experts, apartment residents, and management entities, with plans to actively reflect good policy proposals or recommend them to the government.

Park Jong-il, director of the Province's Apartment Housing Division, stated, “Given the characteristics of apartment buildings where many people live together, fire damage can be severe,” adding, “We will prepare various measures to prevent accidents and spare no effort in providing prevention support.”