Gas stations in South Korea will soon be allowed to store electricity generated from on-site solar panels in energy storage systems (ESS) for electric vehicle charging services. Small-scale LPG self-service stations will also be permitted in rural areas where charging infrastructure has been lacking due to poor economic viability.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Sandbox Support Center and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced Wednesday that they approved eight projects at the "4th Industrial Convergence Regulatory Sandbox Deliberation Committee of 2025."
The most notable project is the "EV charging service using solar power generation and ESS at gas stations" proposed by Pion Electric Co. The business model involves installing solar power facilities on unused land at gas stations, storing the generated electricity in ESS, and using it for EV charging. Under the current Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act, only solar power facilities and EV chargers were allowed at gas stations, while ESS installation was prohibited due to fire risks.
This restriction meant that stable power supply was limited during periods of insufficient sunlight, such as nighttime or cloudy days, when solar power generation efficiency drops. However, with this special approval, ESS can now be used to store electricity in advance, enabling stable fast-charging services regardless of time of day or weather conditions.
"We approved the demonstration special exception considering the expansion of EV charging infrastructure using renewable energy and ESS, diversification of gas station business models, and the need to demonstrate ESS safety at gas stations," a KCCI official said. "Safety standards must be established through quantitative risk assessment, and expert safety verification must be conducted."
The "LPG self-service simple charging station" for rural residents in energy welfare blind spots also passed the deliberation. Proposed by a consortium led by the Korea LPG Association, this project combines small storage tanks of less than 3 tons with self-service chargers.
LPG vehicle registrations have exceeded 1.85 million units as of the end of 2024, with demand growing due to strengthened diesel vehicle regulations and the discontinuation of 1-ton trucks. However, the current Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act only permits facilities with storage capacity of 15 tons or more, making it economically unviable to install charging stations in rural areas with low demand. With this approval, 16 simple charging stations are expected to be installed in island and mountainous regions in South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, and Gangwon provinces, significantly reducing inconvenience for residents.
Other projects that cleared regulatory hurdles at the deliberation committee include hydrogen charging stations for hydrogen electric trams, commercial CO2 dry cleaning machines (temporary permit), on-site cooking and sales of pet food, and shared beauty salon services.
"This is the first safe combination of what was called a high-risk facility pairing—gas station plus ESS—and it was made possible through the innovation of vanadium-ion batteries," said Lee Jong-myung, head of KCCI's Industrial Innovation Division. "Next year, we will actively support more innovation experiments for corporate growth."
Since its introduction in 2019, the regulatory sandbox system has granted special approvals to a total of 901 projects. The KCCI has operated the Sandbox Support Center since May 2020, helping 410 projects receive approval, including 60 this year.
