Conversations with Kelly: Hyundai’s Ioniq Electric Vehicle
My sister Kelly and I talk about a lot of things, kids, family, travel, shoes and work. Today we are going to talk shop. We both work in our family business and between the two of us my sister is the Hyundai expert.
A few weeks ago Schlueter Hyundai delivered its first Ioniq and I decided to sit down with Kelly and find out all about this new entry into the electric car segment.
Tell me a bit about Hyundai’s new electric vehicle the Ioniq.
The Hyundai Ioniq is the world’s first vehicle to be offered in three electrified powertrains: Electric, Hybrid & Plug-In Hybrid. This is really important because green vehicles are not one-size-fits-all, so Hyundai is giving its customers the opportunity to choose the model that best fits their driving needs.
The electric model (Ioniq EV) was the first Ioniq we received and it was sold just about a week after it arrived.
The Ioniq EV is similar in size to the Elantra and powered entirely by its state-of-the-art lithium-ion polymer battery system. Drivers will never have to visit the gas pumps, instead you plug the vehicle in and with a full charge can go 200 kms.
Charging the vehicle can be done at home using a standard 120V outlet or at 240V or 450V charging stations.
Where does it fit in the electric vehicle segment?
The electric car segment is growing quickly but Ioniq EV has a lot of features that make it stand out. With 118 horsepower it has more power than the Leaf and the eGolf, along with a greater range than the Leaf, eGolf and Focus EV.
The Ioniq EV doesn’t look much different than a traditional vehicle but actually every exterior detail is crafted to manage airflow for optimized efficiency. This gives Ioniq the lowest drag coefficient in the industry. That’s really just a fancy way of saying its very aerodynamic which in turn makes it very efficient.
Did our first customer visit us specifically with the Ioniq in mind?
No, they didn’t come in knowing exactly what they wanted. They had looked at other green vehicles but in the end were convinced to go with the Ioniq EV because of its rich feature content and aggressive pricing.
Premium interior amenities like push-button start, heated memory seats and adaptive cruise control make the Ioniq extremely enjoyable to drive. Beyond comfort the Ioniq is equipped with advanced active safety features including autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot detection and lane departure warnings.
Some stereotypes of an electric vehicle are they are expensive or you can’t really drive very far with one. How does the IONIQ go beyond these sterotypes?
A 200 km range is more than enough for a lot of people’s lifestyles but of course can’t meet the needs of everyone. This brings us back to Hyundai’s decision to give the consumer choices. If your driving needs require you to drive long distances then a great option would be the Ioniq Hybrid, which allows you drive 1000km on a single tank of gas.
As for cost, while its usually true technology costs more when its new, that’s not the case for electric vehicles. With substantial government subsidies of $14,000, right now is probably the most affordable time to be investing in an electric vehicle.
Any final thoughts?
Ioniq Electric: 100% electric vehicle. 200 KM range. No Gas. Zero Emissions
A big thank you to Kelly for bringing me up to speed on our latest electric car. Look for my next chat with my sister…. maybe because it’s summer we’ll ditch the work talk and have a cottage fireside chat!
You can find our fabulous Schlueter Hyundai Team online at:
Website: schlueterhyundai.com
