Free use of the cars is just part of the campaign, which runs until April 2015. Taxi businesses involved in the scheme will be exempt from tolls through a number of tunnels into the city. They will also be given a 50% discount on parking fees in the city center and will be given free access to the City’s 34 quick chargers, a network that the Korea Environment Corporation has undertaken to expand still further.

Presented at the Busan Motor Show in June 2012, the 100% electric vehicle has been produced and sold as the first Korean-made mass market sub-mid-sized EV since 2013. The EV model features a variety of newly developed technologies of Renault Group and RSM.

Equipped with a 23 kWh Li-ion battery pack from LG Chem, SM3 Z.E. runs up to 182 km (113 miles) in UDDS (Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule) mode on a single charge. Topspeed is 135 km/h (84 mph), and the motor has a maximum output of 70kW and maximum torque of 226 N·m (167 lb-ft).

RSM dominates Korea’s EV market, claiming a 58% share in 2013.