Daily EV news · Global · 20 September 2026
EV Charging
South Korea to pilot plug and charge at highway rest stops from September
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will pilot plug and charge technology from September at public fast chargers on highway rest stops, following technical verification with the Korea Environment Corporation and Hyundai Motor Group. The system eliminates the current 5 to 6 step charging process and separate membership cards by enabling encrypted authentication between vehicle and charger upon connection. A public hearing was held in March ahead of the autumn rollout.
Why it matters
The shift to unified plug and charge authentication removes operator specific membership barriers, potentially reshaping procurement specifications for highway charging infrastructure and intensifying competition among CPOs to retain customers through service differentiation rather than proprietary payment systems.
BYD reaches 10,000 Flash Charger stalls in China, targets 20,000 by year end
BYD hit 10,000 deployed stalls of its 1.5 MW, five minute Flash Charging system in China on 28 August 2026, having added 5,000 units between 1 April and late August at roughly 1,000 stalls per month. The manufacturer aims to reach 20,000 Flash Chargers by the end of 2026, which would require more than doubling the installation rate to around 2,500 stalls per month, according to CarNewsChina.
Why it matters
The rollout pace signals both the scale of capital BYD is committing to proprietary ultra fast charging and the installation capacity available in the Chinese market. Procurement teams watching OEM led networks should note the 1.5 MW specification and five minute session target as a benchmark for next generation hardware tenders.