Imported EVs Facing "Repair Refugee" Crisis Under National Audit Scrutiny… Pointing Out Tesla's Lack of Maintenance Infrastructure

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Amid the rapid increase in the adoption of imported electric vehicles, the so-called "repair refugee" problem caused by insufficient maintenance infrastructure and parts supply disruptions was formally raised during the national audit, making it an urgent task to develop effective measures to address consumers' economic and time-related damages.

At the National Assembly's Land, Transport and Tourism Committee national audit held on the 23rd, Democratic Party of Korea member Jeong Il-yeong (Rep.) focused on pointing out the maintenance delays and consumer damage status of major imported electric vehicle brands such as Tesla. According to the audit materials, there are currently a total of approximately 1,300 Chinese-made electric buses operating in the metropolitan area, and the scale of Local Government subsidies invested for this purpose has been tallied at 60 billion won.

However, due to smooth parts supply and a shortage of specialized maintenance personnel, vehicles are left unattended for long periods, resulting in serious operational disruptions where they cannot operate normally. Specifically, cases were confirmed in the Incheon region where repairs were delayed for nearly 300 days, leading to suspension of operation, and it was determined that numerous vehicles in the Gyeonggi-do region have been waiting for repairs for more than a month.

Tesla, whose sales volume surged in the domestic market this year, also revealed serious limitations in its maintenance infrastructure. It was investigated that the number of specialized maintenance personnel deployed at each Tesla service center is only around 17. In terms of maintenance costs, Tesla vehicle repair costs are more than twice as expensive compared to domestically produced cars, increasing the burden on consumers. As such, with maintenance delays and a high-cost structure overlapping, consumer damage is rapidly increasing. In fact, analyzing the number of recently filed consumer damage relief applications, it was tallied that the number of Tesla-related applications exceeds the combined figure for domestic complete vehicle manufacturers Hyundai Motor and Kia. Industry experts emphasize that systematic expansion of after-sales service networks commensurate with the increase in imported car sales volume is essential.

Regarding such maintenance gaps and consumer damage issues with imported electric vehicles, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport officially announced its policy to further strengthen the management and supervision system for related maintenance infrastructure so that consumers can be guaranteed the same level of after-sales service regardless of which brand of vehicle they purchase. In addition, the government plans to strongly induce improvements in domestic service quality by the imported car industry through continuous monitoring in the future, adding that it will do its utmost to protect consumer rights and interests through this.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original