Toll fees for EVs, hydrogen cars to halve from Sept.

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- The highway toll charges for electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will halve from September, the transport ministry said Tuesday.

The government plans to temporarily operate the discount program for environment-friendly vehicles by 2020, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation said in a statement.

Depending on the operation results, it will decide on whether to continue the program or not, it said.

To get the discount, the drivers of electric and hydrogen cars have to install "Hi-pass," a prepaid system for expressways in South Korea, the ministry said.

"The discount program is aimed at increasing the number of electric and hydrogen vehicles and reducing fine dust," Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee said in the statement.

To back up the spread of eco-friendly cars, the government will strengthen the charging infrastructure for electric and hydrogen cars, she said.

By 2020, the government aims to increase the number of eco-friendly vehicles to 1.5 million -- composed of 1.24 million hybrid cars, 250,000 electric cars and 10,000 hydrogen cars, the statement said.

The figures are sharply up from 275,000 units that included 260,405 hybrid cars, 14,861 electric and 128 hydrogen cars as of May this year, it said.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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