No need to worry about broken chargers. You can simply use another charger. On-site staff monitor via surveillance cameras, providing assistance to electric vehicle customers facing difficulties. This is the Megawatti charging station, the largest electric vehicle charging station in Korea located in Songdo, Incheon.
On a hazy day on the 11th, I visited the Megawatti charging station. The operator, Sovereign EPS, entered the electric vehicle charging business in earnest in 2020 and opened its first charging station in Songdo in October 2022. It is a new company that started just three months ago.
Megawatti in Songdo has the largest electric vehicle charging facilities in the country, with 28 units of 50kW, 2 units of 100kW, and 30 Tesla Destination chargers, totaling 60 dedicated charging facilities for electric vehicles. Furthermore, it secured a power usage capacity of 3000kW and 900kW of reserved power to install 250kW fast chargers. This exceeds the power usage of Lotte Tower’s electric vehicle chargers (1900kW).
Even while touring the charging station on the 4th floor, an Ioniq 5 taxi was fueling its hungry battery, and a Model 3 was charging in the Tesla Zone.
In Incheon, there are areas with high populations like Bupyeong, Juan, and Dongam. So why choose Songdo? CEO Choi Moon-young explained, “It’s not easy to find a place to acquire such a large site in the existing old town like Songdo,” sharing the reasoning behind opening the charging station there. However, Songdo is also a suitable location for electric vehicle charging stations, thanks to Tesla. It is the community with the highest density of Tesla customers after Gangnam.
CEO Choi noted that “As of 2021, Incheon Songdo ranked second in Tesla registrations after the three districts of Gangnam in Seoul,” explaining the reason for the installation of Tesla Destinations. He hinted at the possibility of installing Tesla Superchargers as well.
The visit of private taxis operating as electric taxis is high. Electric taxi drivers struggling with broken electric vehicle chargers at government offices or parks are seeking out Megawatti. Word has spread through the private taxi driver network, and electric taxi drivers are continuing to arrive. CEO Choi stated, “Every day, more than 30 regular taxi customers visit the charging station to charge.”
Thanks to the word of mouth among electric taxi drivers and Tesla customers, Megawatti, which opened in October, has been growing at a rate of 100% every month, maintaining an upward trend.
Every charging scenario for customers is monitored live by on-site staff in the office. If there is an issue with the charger they intend to use, office staff assist customers with their charging. Even if a charger breaks down, they can simply use another one.
CEO Choi said, “To prepare for unforeseen situations, we divided the transformer room into two and separated the charging areas into four.” This thorough preparation ensures that even if there is a problem in one area, the other side’s charging system continues to operate smoothly.
Megawatti is just getting started. CEO Choi Moon-young stated, “Starting from Incheon Songdo, we plan to open Megawatti charging stations in six major cities nationwide,” and revealed plans for a dedicated charging station for electric large trucks to be built in Ulsan.
Due to the lack of dedicated parking areas and electric vehicle chargers in each apartment, electric vehicle customers have no respite from the battle of charging. It is hoped that the Megawatti charging station will become a refreshing presence for many customers stressed by charging.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr