Korea’s busiest airport now hosts EV-charging robot, targets 1,100 chargers by 2026

“The two sides plan to use this cooperation as a stepping stone to create a leading cooperation model so that the ‘electric vehicle automatic charging robot’ service can be established in various transportation infrastructures such as ports and railways in the future,” said a statement by the firms.

Smart charge bot

Once a vehicle is parked and stationary, the ACR communicates with it to open the charging port. Using a built-in camera, the robot calculates the exact position and angle needed to connect the charger. It then picks up the charging cable, securely plugs it in, and begins charging. When charging is complete, the ACR removes the cable, places it back, and closes the vehicle’s charging port.

To ensure reliable performance, Hyundai and Kia’s Robotics Lab developed advanced software that calculates multiple variables simultaneously, such as parking position, port shape, weather conditions, obstacles, and cable weight, using 3D camera-based AI and next-generation control technology.

Engineers constructed a specialized outdoor test station at their R&D center, recognizing that many EV chargers are outdoors. This allowed them to evaluate the ACR in various environmental conditions. As a result, the robot achieved an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance and can operate in harsh environments.

A safety pole with a laser sensor is included to detect obstacles and enhance safety. Hyundai and Kia believe the ACR will greatly improve EV charging convenience, especially when paired with future autonomous parking systems.

Autonomous EV services

In partnership with Incheon International Airport Corporation, the automakers will deploy their ACR system, marking a major step toward expanding automated EV charging in high-security, high-traffic environments.

According to them, Incheon Airport, home to Korea’s largest eco-friendly vehicle infrastructure, offers an ideal setting for this initiative, having already transitioned its entire business fleet to eco-friendly vehicles and targeting 1,110 EV chargers by 2026.

Hyundai and Kia will provide the ACR units and associated software, customizing service operation scenarios to fit the airport’s specific environment as part of this collaboration. The Robotics Lab will also spearhead initiatives to evaluate and enhance the technology under actual airport conditions.

Incheon International Airport Corporation will assess the robots through their use in charging the company’s eco-friendly service vehicles, and team member feedback will be gathered to enhance performance and user-friendliness.

This project leverages the prior experience of Hyundai and Kia, which includes installations at ‘Factory Seongsu’ in Seoul and the ‘Jeju Savile E-pit Charging Station’ as part of the ‘Charging Now’ campaign. The companies plan to leverage the airport deployment as a basis for wider application in other essential transport infrastructures, including ports and railway stations, thereby creating a scalable model for future EV charging.