SK Signet announced on the 21st that the national R&D project “Development and Demonstration of Robot-Based Fast Automatic Charging System for Electric Vehicles” has completed its five-year research phase and finished demonstration. The project, promoted by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, developed technology that enables a robot to recognize the location of a vehicle’s charging port and automatically connect the charging connector without driver intervention.

The SK Signet consortium included 10 organizations: the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, the Korea Smart Grid Association, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, Korea University, Zeus, CMES, Gridwiz, and others. The research team conducted long-term demonstrations of a 400kW-class robot-based charging system and verified commercialization requirements such as charging precision, international communication standards, payment standards, and user safety.

SK Signet developed a multi-control system that allows a single robot to charge multiple vehicles sequentially. It also implemented a dedicated communication modem for automatic charging and a Plug and Charge (PnC) function. Based on analysis of long-term demonstration data, the company improved algorithms to enhance connector coupling accuracy and reinforced the system so that it operates stably in external environments such as low and high temperatures.

To ensure safety, the team tested pedestrian and vehicle collision prediction algorithms and collision detection device performance, designing the system to enable unmanned operation even in environments where autonomous vehicles and pedestrians coexist. In addition, it developed a load control algorithm that efficiently distributes power in multi-charging situations, thereby improving overall system efficiency.

For commercialization, international certification procedures were also completed. The robot arm (6-axis articulated manipulator) passed IP54 waterproof and dustproof certification and repetitive accuracy verification, while the fast charger and adapter obtained CB certification under the international standards IEC 61851-23 and IEC 62196-3. In Korea, the system acquired KC certification and high-efficiency certification.

On this basis, SK Signet has secured essential conditions for entry into major markets including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company expects to be able to accelerate major national certification procedures such as CE and UL in the future.

Cho Hyung-ki, CEO of SK Signet, said, “This research has enhanced the completeness of high-power automated charging technology. We will continue to strengthen the competitiveness of charging infrastructure that can meet the requirements of diverse mobility environments.”

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