Water said on Wednesday it achieved a 99.2 percent utilisation rate for fast chargers at highway service areas, based on results from the "Water Charging Station Guardians" campaign conducted jointly with the Korea EV Users Association. Users selected as Water guardians inspected all 274 Water chargers installed at highway service areas nationwide. Of the 274 units, 272 operated normally, recording a 99.2 percent utilisation rate.

The campaign is a user-driven public-interest activity started by the association in 2017. The company said it moved away from provider-led inspections, with actual users checking fast-charging stations nationwide and reporting improvements.

Water is pursuing a strategy of focused investment in high-traffic locations such as highway service areas. It concentrates on route hubs where drivers with low battery levels and clear charging needs gather, maximising infrastructure operating efficiency.

Water said it maintains a principle of dispatch within 1 hour and restoration within 48 hours, and has built a vertically integrated operating system that it manages directly from software monitoring to on-site engineering. It stressed that it improved the user experience by reducing reliance on external parties when problems occur and shortening response times.

Water plans to continue work to improve the surroundings of charging stations and enhance user convenience, based on feedback proposed during the campaign.

Kim Sung-tae, head of the Korea EV Users Association, said the association's charging environment improvement campaign aims to shift the charging infrastructure environment from provider-centered to user-centered. He said Water has been the charging point operator with the highest charging success rate among those the association has worked with, and he hopes it will remain a charging provider trusted by users.

Yoo Dae-won, CEO of Water, said it does not spare service quality improvements and staffing investment even during periods of continued losses because user trust is the reason a charging point operator exists. He said the company will keep utilisation at major hubs such as highway service areas at the best level and build a sustainable charging ecosystem that EV users can trust and rely on.