Posted on 01/02/2017 3:47:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Bjorn Nyland has just posted a glowing review of the Hyundai Ioniq Electric. Bjorn is a video blogger who has made an international reputation by creating videos about road trips he has taken in his Tesla Model S and Model X. In fact, creating content for this YouTube channel has become nearly a full time job for him. Earlier this year, he won a Tesla Model X in a Tesla referral contest by generating more Model S referrals than anyone else in the European area.
Nyland is committed to the electric car lifestyle and is now branching out to cover electric cars from other manufacturers. His latest video is about a 600+ mile road trip he took recently from Oslo to Trondheim, Norway and back in winter conditions. His report? The Hyundai Ioniq Electric is almost as good as a Tesla Model S but costs only one third as much. High praise indeed.
Nyland raves about the car’s efficiency. With a 25 kWh battery, it used just 272 watt hours per mile, thanks in part to an aerodynamic coefficient of drag equal to that of the Tesla Model S. The trip included climbing hills and slippery, snow covered roads — hardly ideal for testing an electric car. But what really impressed Bjorn was the level of equipment packed into the Ioniq.
With the exception of a few parlor tricks Tesla owners like to impress their friends with, the car has much the same functionality as a Tesla with Autopilot. Auto steer allows hands free driving. There are also adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, emergency braking, and blind spot warning functions built in. Wireless charging for cell phones is included as well as heated and ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel — especially appreciated in Norway’s cold winter climate.
The Ioniq Electric has a range of 124 miles under ideal conditions. Nyland noticed that he was able to drive more than 100 miles on a charge even in winter with the defroster and seat heaters operating and the outside temperature hovering around 20º F. Thanks to Norway’s extensive network of DC fast chargers along major transportation routes, Nyland was always able to find an available charger when he needed one. A version with a larger battery good for more than 200 miles of range is expected in 2018.
The touchscreen is large and easy to use (no, it is not as large as a the one in a Tesla!) and can be customized to meet the driver’s tastes. One feature Nyland really appreciated was a setting that allowed the car’s heater to only warm the driver’s side of the car, saving precious electrons when there were no passengers along for the ride.
The Ioniq is a 5 door hatchback design with plenty of rear leg, head, and shoulder room (Chevy Volt owners take note) so it can swallow a huge amount of cargo, especially with the seat down. It is not yet on sale in the US but will be later in 2017. One other thing to notice is the Hyundai Ioniq and the Kia Niro are fraternal twins from the beltline down and are mechanically identical. That suggests the Niro Electric will be a tempting choice for those who want an electric SUV. Prices in the US have not yet been announced.
Any car that impresses Bjorn Nyland is a seriously good car. If you are in the market for an electric car, you might be wise to consider the Ioniq Electric or the Niro Electric when they become available in your area.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
I was just mentioning her the other night, since her “So Quiet” song is being used for a commercial.
And we all remember the dead swan dress a few years back.
I test drove a Hyundai Sonata once - great mid-size sedan. Top-notch build and quality - made in USA!
I expect the new Hyundai Ioniq Electric to be manufactured here. It should give Tesla a run for the money.
Koreans design good stuff nearly as good as German imports for a heck of a lot less.
This Green Car is in that tradition.
Battery-powered electric vehicles are a technological dead-end.
They never gained acceptance a hundred years ago, because the battery technology was so primitive at that time, and they do not stand to gain wide acceptance today, because the technology, though much improved, has proved to be not a sustainable economically feasible alternative to carbon-based fuels or direct hydrogen fuel cells. The rare-earth elements needed for their performance are in far too short of supply for more than a few examples to be built.
Battery-powered vehicles shall probably always have a niche market, but it is like wind or solar power - not sufficiently reliable to stand on its own merits without a dependable back-up system.
The technology is getting better and better and prices are coming down.
Electric cars are no longer a plaything of the rich.
This is what the market does - build cars people want to buy.
Hyundai and its Korean sibling Kia can do it.
According to the article it has an ~130 mile range under ideal conditions so it’s totally unsuitable for anything outside of a city or short commuting situation. Until they can create charging technology or battery replacement technology that can rival the time it takes to fill a tank I can’t imagine electric cars having anything but limited appeal - especially outside the coasts.
Next year an improved battery will offer 200 mile range.
And we’re nowhere near the limit of what is technologically feasible.
I expect incremental improvements to keep appearing.
Most people drive 60 miles round trip per day.
The problem is fast recharging but I expect the problem to be licked.
Along with new long-life batteries.
True. My son has a battery powered hybrid. It has an engine that turns on when the battery becomes depleted, which is about 30 miles. He commutes about 40 miles each way to work, and has free charging stations as both work and his apartment complex. So 3/4 of his commute is free. One tank of gas lasts about a month. But it needs a backup, and it wouldn't be so great if he paid for the electricity.
With few exceptions the car and tech and motorcycle magazine writers have been ordered by the owners of such publications to make electric vehicles look good no matter how terrible they are. I believe nothing I read about them any more. All ranges are exaggerated. The usual trick is to say the car can go X miles on a charge and go Y mph. They don’t mention that the maximum range X is met with all accessories turned off and the car traveling at 1/4th Y mph.
As an EE who did specialize in batteries I’m pretty sure that chemical batteries are largely at a dead end. There may be more improvements, but charge times will remain slow. Very fast charging shortens battery life. Until electric vehicles can go 300 miles per charge and recharge in 10 minutes they will remain curiosities and playthings of the rich or green idiots.
They are all coal or hydroelectric powered in the end.
“Most people drive 60 miles round trip per day.”
Uh, except for those of us who live between the Mississippi and California.
I just drove a 2017 Volt from Sacramento to Ontario, Ca. Amazingly comfortable. Average 38 mpg (gas only) driving 75 mph. Saving tne 53 electric miles for city driving.
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