Inside North Korea’s Electric Car Project: A Quirky and Unconventional Approach

North Korea’s Interest in Electric Car Development
North Korea’s Developed Electric Cart
with a Horrifying Design

North Korea, the most secluded country on Earth, is interested in using electric cars as public transportation. It may seem strange that North Korea, where electricity goes out at night in the capital city of Pyongyang, is interested in electric cars. Still, North Korea has previously revealed a small electric car for tourism.

Kang Young Sil, a North Korean defector and representative of the North Korea Industrial Technology Research Institute, claimed that North Korea has been conducting secondary battery-related research since 1975, including lithium-ion batteries. This electric car development is not for ordinary citizens but for use in large cities like Pyongyang.

Electric Cars Called Battery Cars
Characterized Electric Carts

Since the 1980s, North Korea has used secondary batteries in cruise ships and coal cars. In North Korea, electric cars are called “battery cars,” and the Kim Jong Un regime is said to have been accelerating the development of related technologies. If you look at the appearance of the electric cars that North Korea has revealed for tourism, you can see that a cute yellow color is applied to the exterior.

The front headlamps are shaped like a character’s eyes, with a nose and a smiling mouth drawn underneath. The character, with its red mouth wide open in a smile, is somewhat eerie. The side mirrors are crab legs. The sides are open for optimal sightseeing, and the seats, although uncomfortable, are arranged independently.

Considering the Location is a Beach
Catfish and Crab Shapes Applied

These carts are divided into 11-seaters and 17-seaters. The silver 17-seater carts are characterized as catfish, and the 11-seater carts are described as yellow crabs. Considering that the original place where electric carts were used was a beach, it seems that they adopted such character designs. North Korea publicized that they put a lot of effort into completing the electric cart, but it has not been confirmed whether it has been used.

There is also speculation that China provides related technology for developing electric cars in North Korea. In North Korea, the models of BYD, China’s largest electric car brand, have been displayed. The Madusan Electric Car Showroom opened on Pyeongyang Hwasung Street and was revealed on China’s Weibo, where BYD’s electric car was shown.

Is Electric Car Development Meaningful in North Korea
with Its Poor Electricity Facilities?

In North Korea, the residential areas are so poor that electricity is not supplied day and night. Power outages occur everywhere, and power supply is often unavailable, even in the capital city of Pyongyang. In rural areas, electricity is supplied only for about an hour to prepare dinner. Despite this, North Korea introduced a double-decker bus with a built-in secondary battery last year.

It operated on a route between Daesungsan and Pyongyang Mangyongdae. However, the towing power was low, so boarding passengers on the second floor was impossible, and the number of passengers that could board was about 20.