Hyundai Motor Ends 'Pick-up & Charge' Service After 4 Years, Shifts Focus to Charging Robots

Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) will terminate its "Pick-up & Charge" electric vehicle charging concierge service four years after its launch. The service, introduced to ease charging inconveniences for EV customers, is being discontinued amid expanded charging infrastructure and weak demand. The automaker plans to focus on improving EV charging experiences through technological advancements such as automated charging robots.

According to industry sources on January 9, Hyundai's Pick-up & Charge service will operate until the end of this month and officially end on January 1 next year. Launched in May 2021, the service involved Hyundai collecting customers' EVs, charging them up to 80%, and returning them. Initially piloted only in Seoul, the service expanded to six major metropolitan areas including Busan, Daegu and Ulsan in May last year.

The Pick-up & Charge service was launched to enhance EV charging convenience, but actual demand fell short of expectations. As charging infrastructure has expanded to workplaces and residential areas compared to the early days of EV adoption, customer usage remained extremely limited. Usage last year did not reach 200 cases, with some regions recording only single-digit figures.

The EV market slowdown and cost burdens also contributed to the service termination. Hyundai has been responding to market conditions by focusing sales on hybrid vehicles rather than underperforming EVs. Consequently, discontinuing the charging concierge service, which incurred fixed costs for personnel and regional infrastructure despite low utilization, became unavoidable.

Instead, Hyundai will concentrate on strengthening technological capabilities to innovate EV charging experiences. The company is conducting pilot operations of AI-based automated charging robots at locations including Incheon International Airport. These robots use advanced cameras and AI technology to recognize EV charging ports and perform charging autonomously. The technology is expected to enhance customer convenience and safety by eliminating the need to wait or manually operate chargers. Additionally, Hyundai Motor Group plans to sequentially install 200kW dual-arm chargers from its ultra-fast charging brand "E-pit," which has obtained the private EV charging quality certification "EV-Q," nationwide.