KTC Leads the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Market through OCPP Testing Agency Designation
KTC Leads the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Market through OCPP Testing Agency Designation
Korea Testing Certification (KTC) is actively spearheading the government's initiative to bolster the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry and amplify its global market footprint. Operating as a comprehensive testing and certification body for EVs, covering sectors such as information technology, motors, batteries, among others, KTC provides extensive support for testing, evaluation, and certification, showcasing particular expertise in the EV sector.
Aligned with the government's policy to increase the country's share of the global EV charging market to 10% by 2030, KTC has participated in the Mobility Charging Industry Convergence Alliance launched by the government last December. The goal is to streamline domestic and international test and certification acquisition, boosting exports for local companies.
The rapid growth in the EV charging market has made it imperative for domestic companies to obtain international certifications, enhancing their competitiveness globally. However, the introduction of new standards and testing policies in various evaluation areas, including safety, measurement, performance, electromagnetic waves, and energy efficiency by different countries, has posed challenges for companies in tailoring export strategies to specific national requirements.
To address these challenges, KTC has been actively working towards solutions. Notably, on December 13 last year, it became the 8th globally and the second in Korea to be designated by the Open Charge Alliance (OCA) as an OCPP testing agency. OCPP, an open communication protocol between EV chargers and operation servers developed and operated by the Open Charge Alliance based in the Netherlands, is a key testing and certification area recently discussed as a standard in the United States and Europe.
KTC's designation as an OCPP testing agency aims to meet the surge in demand for OCPP testing and certification in Korea. Recognizing the significance of the Korean market and acknowledging KTC's outstanding capabilities in EV charging infrastructure testing and certification, the OCA designated KTC as the second testing agency in Korea after KTC actively pursued OCPP testing agency designation from May, addressing the backlog due to the operation of a single testing agency.
As a testing agency with qualifications across the entire spectrum of EV charging equipment, KTC not only conducts safety and performance tests but also offers communication protocol testing and certification. Moreover, it has developed the "EV-Q" testing and evaluation standard that objectively verifies not only performance but also the quality of EV charging equipment. Since June, it has been operating the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Quality Certification Center.
The global market size for EV charging infrastructure is projected to grow approximately sixfold by 2030, reaching $325 billion. Consequently, the demand for testing and certification from domestic companies is expected to continue rising. KTC is taking the lead in supporting exports of local companies by securing testing agency qualifications from global institutions such as UL Solutions in the United States and TUV Rheinland in Europe and Asia.
KTC possesses testing and evaluation capabilities not only in EV charging infrastructure but also across the entire EV sector. In the field of electronic equipment, it secured qualification as a designated testing agency for electromagnetic fields from the Hyundai Motor Group last September and plans to expand its designation as a high-voltage component testing agency in the future.
In the battery sector, it provides safety testing and evaluation services through testing infrastructure located in Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do, and plans to introduce additional equipment for testing EV battery packs and modules, investing approximately 19 billion Korean Won this year.
KTC President Sungil Ahn stated, "Through this recent designation as the 8th OCPP testing agency worldwide, we have secured qualifications for testing and certification across the entire spectrum of EV charging infrastructure," further expressing, "We will do our utmost to strengthen the EV ecosystem through support in testing and certification services to enable our companies to lead the global market."
