U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors Inc. debuting this week in South Korea brushed aside concerns about its charging and after-sales service by vowing to establish at least 30 own stations on top of the country’s existing infrastructure within the year and introduce full lineup including the affordable Model 3 by next year.

Tesla Motors Korea claims the Korean response to its cars has been exceptional with requests for test drive on Model S reaching the world’s highest level. Korea’s pre-orders for Model 3 exceed Japan’s, a staff said.

Tesla opened its first showroom in Hanam shopping mall in Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday and will open the second shop in Cheongdam-dong Friday

Skeptics claim the Tesla won’t do well in Korea because unlike American homes with individual parking spot to make it easier to install chargers on the wall, Koreans live in apartments with restricted parking space.

Tesla will help consumers install individual household plugs and also locate charging ports at large shopping outlets. It aims to install five superchargers that can fill up the battery of the Model S entirely in an hour and 25 more common Level 2 stations. Apart from its own charging network, it will borrow the broader nationwide charging infrastructure run by state utility firm KEPCO.

Tesla Motors Korea will start operating directly-run service centers in Deungchon-dong, western Seoul and Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, respectively, with a combined workforce of around 10 to offer maintenance services on core functions of its cars. AS service, however, could be difficult for owners outside Seoul.

Starting Model S 90D, other cars in the Model S lineup would arrive in the first half this year in Korea. The Model X and the Model 3 will also follow suit later this year. The Model S 90D will come at a price tag of 121 million won ($105,465).

By Park Chang-young

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