Tesla has opened its first Supercharger converted from a former gas station in South Korea — a market where the company’s EV sales jumped by 841% (or 16,146 units) in the first quarter.
The charging site — located in Gyongju — marks the first time in Asia that an existing gas station has been repurposed as a Tesla Supercharger.
The company held an opening event last Saturday, offering free charging to all EV owners — both Tesla and non-Tesla — alongside a Cybertruck display, limited-edition stickers inspired by the local region, and mobile service checkups.
Tesla is also expanding its broader infrastructure in the country, adding highway Superchargers and service centers, it told local media outlets.
Its first known conversion of a gas station into a Supercharger took place in Córdoba, Spain — where the company repurposed a former Shell station in the city center.
The site, equipped with eight V4 Superchargers, was announced in November 2024 and became fully operational by early 2025.
Tesla retained the original canopy and layout but modernized the station with its own branding, illuminated signage, and an EV-focused design.
The Córdoba project has since been cited as a blueprint for repurposing fossil-fuel infrastructure for electric vehicle charging.
Shell itself has also repurposed several gas stations into EV charging stations, starting in London four years ago.
The company launched an EV charging hub on Fulham Road in early 2022, followed by a similar one in Paris that same year.
In 2024, Shell also opened the largest EV charging station at an airport in Shenzhen, China, equipped with 258 charging points.
Record Deliveries
Tesla became the first imported car brand to surpass 10,000 monthly sales in South Korea, reaching a record month of 11,130 vehicles sold in March.
The figures represent a fourfold increase from the 2,591 units registered a year ago.
The result brought first-quarter deliveries to 20,964 units — the company’s second-best quarter in the country, trailing only the third quarter of 2025.
Tesla registered 7,537 vehicles in July, 7,974 in August and 9,099 last September, achieving a market share above 25%.
For the full year, Tesla sold 59,916 vehicles in South Korea, finishing 2025 with a 19.5% share of the imported-vehicle market. The figures doubled year over year.
Tesla surpassed other imported brands in the market across several months of 2025 and became the country’s top-selling overseas automaker in the first months of 2026.
It is competing directly with BMW and Mercedes-Benz — which, unlike Tesla, also sell internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid models.
Lineup
Tesla currently offers the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck in South Korea.
Prices for the two best-sellers start at 41,990,000 won ($27,700) and 49,990,000 won ($33,000), respectively.
The Standard versions of both models, available in the US and Europe, are not sold in the country.
Tesla officially introduced the six-seat Model Y L in the market last Friday, with a starting price of 64,990,000 won ($43,100).
Debuted in China last Summer, the Model Y L has been launched in eight new markets in Asia since earlier this year — including Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, and the Philippines.
The company also debuted the Cybertruck pick-up in South Korea last year, priced from 145,000,000 won ($95,600).
Policy Tailwinds
South Korea’s government is accelerating its EV transition, targeting 70% zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2035.
To reach that goal, the country raised its maximum EV purchase subsidy to 6.8 million won ($4,700) for 2026, up from 5.8 million won ($4,000) last year.
The price cap for subsidy eligibility remains at 53 million won ($36,700) this year but will drop to 50 million won ($34,600) in 2027.
The government has also eliminated consumption and acquisition taxes on battery-electric, hybrid, and hydrogen vehicles.
Buyers who scrap or sell an internal combustion engine vehicle when purchasing a new EV can claim an additional 1 million won ($700).
Import Quota
According to the government, the incentives are designed to help the country’s auto industry cope with risks from US tariffs, despite the agreement reached between the two countries.
Last July, the two countries reached a trade agreement under which the US agreed to lower tariffs on South Korean product imports to 15%, in exchange for the Asian country altering its rules on vehicle imports.
South Korea lifted a 50,000-unit annual cap on US vehicle imports, a move that benefits Tesla and General Motors while drawing criticism from domestic automakers.
As os late last year, vehicles produced in the United States can enter South Korea as long as they meet US safety standards, without having to comply with the country’s domestic regulations.
The decision has drawn criticism from domestic automakers, which struggle to compete with foreign rivals such as Tesla and General Motors.
The competition cited by automakers in South Korea is not (only) focused on sales, but rather on technology and safety.
Traffic safety rules in the US are less strict than those in South Korea — hence why US President Donald Trump has denounced these regulations as “non-trade barriers.”
Additionally, the two countries have very different types of roads, making US vehicles less suitable for South Korea’s narrow and densely packed streets.
The Korean government has said the impact would be “negligible.”
However, as Tesla expands its presence — introducing the large Cybertruck and its Full-Self Driving (FSD) system — local automakers are increasingly concerned.
FSD Launch
Late last year, the Elon Musk-led company rolled out its FSD software in the country, making it the seventh global market to receive it.
The debut came on the same week when Cybertruck deliveries began.
The software — first only available for Model S and Model X vehicles — was made available to the pickup truck owners a few weeks after its release there.
Tesla‘s FSD in South Korea is only available on models produced in the United States — as they are not subject to South Korean regulations.
Because the Model 3 and Model Y sold in Korea are imported from Teslas GigaShanghai facility, additional regulatory requirements are delaying the software’s approval.
