The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Jeoung Ae) plans to supply more than 300,000 pollution-free vehicles (electric and hydrogen cars), including two-wheeled vehicles, by the end of this year in order to advance carbon neutrality in transportation.

After inauguration, Environment Minister Han visited the site of the pollution-free vehicle supply project*, the representative project of the South Korean version of the New Deal, as her first on-site trip on the morning of January 28. 

* Hyundai Motor Company Jeonju plant in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk and nearby Wanju hydrogen charging station

Hyundai Motor Company Jeonju plant is the world's biggest electric and hydrogen commercial vehicle plant that produces electric and hydrogen buses. Wanju hydrogen charging station is the largest hydrogen vehicle charging station in South Korea that can charge all domestically produced (commercial and passenger) hydrogen vehicles.  

Minister Han inspected the hydrogen vehicle production facility, which is the core of pollution-free vehicles, and encouraged the plant personnel. She reminded the personnel to exert their utmost efforts to supply the vehicles in a timely manner in order to achieve 300,000 pollution-free vehicles by 2021. 

As of the end of last year, total 179,000 pollution-free vehicles (including two-wheeled vehicles) were supplied. Total 136,185 vehicles* will be supplied further this year. 

* 121,000 electric vehicles (75,000 passenger cars, 1,000 buses, 25,000 trucks, 20,000 two-wheeled vehicles) 15,185 hydrogen vehicles (15,000 passenger cars, 180 buses, 5 trucks)  

When the pollution-free vehicle supply project of this year executes according to plan, 300,000 pollution-free vehicles (including two-wheeled vehicles) will be available at the end of this year. 

In particular. the Ministry of Environment plans to focus on supplying electric and hydrogen commercial vehicles with high air quality improvement effects from this year.

The distribution of electric buses, electric trucks and hydrogen buses will be greatly expanded* and subsidies for the hydrogen truck development pilot project will be newly established (KRW 200 million each for national and local expenses).  

* (Electric buses) 650 → 1,000, (electric trucks) 13,000 → 25,000, (hydrogen buses) 80 → 180

Furthermore, the pollution-free vehicle distribution project in 2021 will begin from this day.   

On January 21st, the Ministry of Environment announced a plan to reorganize the subsidy system containing the policy direction* for the distribution of pollution-free vehicles this year. When the subsidy guideline is notified to local governments on this day, each local government will begin preparing for the public offering project.  

* (Reorganization direction) Inducing vehicle performance improvement, applying differential subsidies by price section, strengthening commercial vehicle supports, etc.

"Each nation is utilizing all their resources to lead the age of pollution-free vehicles, which has already come to reality", said Minister Han.

"We will focus our capabilities on increasing demands along with expanding distribution in order to make 2021 the first year of innovation in the distribution project for popularizing pollution-free vehicles and implementing carbon neutrality."