Ioniq 5 taking off – other EVs recall status pending

Hyundai New Zealand is focusing on the positives of its battery charge; but where does that leave Kona and Ioniq EV owners?

NZ interest in the Ioniq 5 coming in the second part of 2021 has been immediate.

 KIWI interest in the latest Hyundai electric car since its reveal a week ago is being celebrated by the brand’s distributor – however, it has still to reconcile an issue tied to two battery-dedicated models already here.

In respect to the Ioniq Five, which made its global reveal on February 23 the first product from the Korean giant’s new electric sub-brand, Hyundai New Zealand says pre-orders have opened for a futuristic model set to land in the second part of the year and that the count has reached double figures.

Spokesman woman Kimberley Waters later clarified this to “20 pre-orders” since a specific webpage went live two days ago. Many more EV enthusiasts have sought information.

HNZ asks for a $500 deposit with each pre-order, but says that will be fully refundable if the intending buyer has a change of mind.

No price has been established for the five-seater medium crossover, the first model built on Hyundai Motor Group’s new dedicated architecture for battery electric vehicles, called Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and the New Zealand market specification is not yet clear. The car’s drawcard elements include eco-friendly materials of its interior design, to ultra-fast charging and vehicle-to-load function.

“We are really pleased by the initial interest in the IONIQ 5. Our team and dealer network are really excited about bringing this EV into New Zealand, and it seems many other EV enthusiasts are too,” says Andy Sinclair, Hyundai NZ’s general manager.

“In a matter (of) days we’ve had a large volume of people register their interest to hear more about this vehicle, as well as pre-orders.”

Ioniq Five’s roll out has timed with a big challenge for Hyundai and its sales agencies – the need to recall electric Kona SUV and Ioniq hatchback cars built since 2018 to replace their battery packs and battery management systems.

This requirement is triggered by fears of a potential fire risk.

 Many countries have already initiated a recall. Waters says HNZ has yet to receive an official notification from Seoul.

“We have still not received official notification from Hyundai Motor Company, so until we have full details regarding the recall campaign we are unable to fully initiate our recall process here in New Zealand.

“One of the first steps in the recall process is to notify/inform Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the CEO of the Motor Industry Association, and then begin communicating with customers with affected vehicles.

“When that happens, the recall will appear on the Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency recall website.“

Hyundai NZ says it is still awaiting official notification of need to recall the Kona EV and Ioniq EV hatch.

Remedial action that Hyundai Motors has said is required is a massive and expensive job; 82,000 electric vehicles are drawen in – the majority being Kona EVs, but the fully-electric version of the Ioniq hatch (sold here) is also involved, as are some buses (not sold here). 

The remedy is a complete replacement of the lithium-ion battery that feeds the cars’ electric propulsion. The total to Hyundai Motor is estimated to be at least $NZ1.2 billion, making it the most expensive EV recall ever.  

According to the Korea Herald newspaper, Hyundai will begin the replacement process at the end of this month March in the domestic market and from April in overseas markets.

It proposes a major logistical issue for the brand’s  overseas’ agencies as the batteries will have to be shipped by sea and then fitted locally, once the subject cars have been divested of the original items, which will also require safe disposal. New Zealand does not have facility for disassembly of such batteries.

It said the battery system subject to the replacement was manufactured by South Korea’s No.1 battery maker LG Energy Solutions, between November 2017 and March 2020. LG Energy is a key affiliate of the country’s leading chemical firm LG Chem Ltd, it said.

Another Korean news outlet, Business Korea, reported recently that since its launch in 2018, the Kona EV has suffered a total of 15 fires — 11 in South Korea and four overseas. Fires have also been reported in Ioniqs, and on February 15, in a Hyundai electric bus. No fires have been reported in New Zealand.

Three previous recall for the Kona are listed on the NZTA website, one specific to the EV, issued in October. This was an issue with the battery system that might also lead to a fire. The recall proposed a software update as a primary measure to address the issue. In at least one case, a NZ-new car required a complete battery change.

The owner of that car, which returned to the road last month after 68 days in an accredited workshop, has spoken with MotoringNZ. He is unsure if the replacement is of the same kind that requires replacement or if it has an improved battery.

 Hyundai gives its full EVs an eight warranty on the battery; conceivably that would refresh with a replacement.

Five a big numbers car

A host of clever tech comes with the first product from Hyundai’s new EV sub-brand

ANTICIPATED local availability is the second half of his year – oh, and what you see may or may not entirely be what you get.

That’s the initial message out of Hyundai New Zealand in respect to the ‘5’, the first of a new lineup of all-electric Ioniq-branded cars, and the first to use Hyundai's high-tech new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).

In comment timed with the car’s global unveiling overnight, local brand spokeswoman Kimberley Waters has offered: “Please note that this is a global release so specifications will vary per country/region.

 “Once we are in a position to share more about the IONIQ 5 specifications for the NZ market (anticipated arrival is the second half of the year) we will so.”

That cautionary comment seems reasonable – this initial unwrap suggests there’s  conceivably a lot offered with this car that stretches, if not outright breaks, existing local boundaries.

It’s fair to suggest that that platform is arguably the most important thing about this hatchback.

It means that not only does it have a flat-floor interior, optional four-wheel drive, and a range of up to 500km, but it also a facility barely supported in New Zealand -  800-volt charging, until now the preserve of high-end EVs such as the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT.

This means that the Ioniq 5 can draw as much as 220kW of power from a high-speed public charging point, meaning that an 80 percent battery charge can be achieved in as little as 18 minutes. Just charging up at maximum for five minutes adds 100km of driving range.

Also, the Ioniq 5's charging system is also the first to come to market with something else Kiwis have yet to experience: Vehicle-to-grid capability. That means it’s a portable generator in itself.

The idea is can power tools, camping equipment, laptops and an electric bike. Hyundai envisages that, in the future, you will be able to sell excess charge in the battery to the national grid at peak times and then recharge your Ioniq 5 later on, at cheaper night rates.

The car also provisions with either one or two electric motors, for two- or four-wheel drive. The single motor version uses a 126kW rear-mounted motor. The all-paw is a dualy, with a combined power output of 227kW and 605Nm of torque. In latter form, the Ioniq 5 will accelerate from 0-100kmh in just 5.5 seconds.

Range depends on the battery. There’s a choice of two - a 58kWh unit or a 72.6kWh unit. Hyundai hasn't indicated the range for the smaller, but the bigger one, with a single electric motor, lends 480km on the WLTP test.

The styling influence is the first car Hyundai sold in NZ, the Hyundai Pony, but not seriously; size-wise it is much larger, too. It seems spacious, with a three-metre wheelbase, flat-floor, and lie-flat seats. The centre console slides back and forth; one reason being so front seat passengers can get in and out through either front door. There's a spacious 531-litre boot as well.

There are two 12-inch displays up front for the instrument panel and the infotainment system, plus an 'augmented reality' heads-up display. The Ioniq 5 will also come with the full suite of 'BlueLink' connectivity, meaning in-car internet connection, smartphone control, and more.

Price? There’s been all sorts of speculation, but nothing confirmed, let alone locally.But given the spec, the car’s size, the fact that its job is to establish Ioniq as a more techy and glam alternate to the parent brand’s own electric cars, the Kona and, erm, Ioniq (hatch) and even the factor of Hyundai here being represented by an independent distributor rather than as a factory shop (as sub-brand Kia effectively plays) … well, don’t be surprised if at least the AWD pushes aside the up-to-$130k Palisade large SUV as Hyundai’s most expensive product here.

Ioniq 5 interior previewed

Teaser campaign continues for model also caught testing in Australia.

FRESH images – official and otherwise – are emerging of the Ioniq 5, first of a dedicated all-electric series from Hyundai under the Ioniq name.

As part of a planned teaser build-up to a global reveal of the whole car, set to occur on February 23, the Hyundai has sent out an image giving a peek of the five-door model’s interior.

Meantime, a charging network provider in Australia has also pitched in, by sharing images (below) of a disguised Ioniq 5 replenishing. 

Tritium says the car was hooked up to its new 75kW RTM75 charger at its headquarters in Brisbane. 

It’s just the latest image of the Ioniq 5 being caught undergoing pre-release trials in Australia by its maker. Others emerged last month.

Hyundai itself has only sent out darkened teaser images revealing the car’s general shape, and the head and tail-light designs.

Even that has been enough to fuel speculation that the production model is set to be all but a dead-ringer for the South Korean carmaker’s “45” concept that was shown off to the world several years ago, not just in shape but also jacked-up general quasi-sports utility stance.

Hyundai New Zealand has indicated the Ioniq 5 will be on sale here, but has stopped short of fuelling thought that it might land around July or August, to join the Hyundai Kona and Hyundai Ioniq electric cars.

There will be more Ioniq models to follow under the new 'sub brand' that sits alongside Hyundai’s N-badged models as being more special than the make’s standard fare. 

In 2022, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan will make its world debut, based on another Hyundai concept, the Prophecy. Further out there will be a Ioniq 7 electric large SUV. And then? Mystery, but the company says will usher in 23 battery-electric vehicles by 2025. 

All next-generation Ioniq models ride on a new Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), setting them apart from Kona EV and the current Ioniq hatch that provisions in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric forms.

That architecture will allow for high-speed charging capability and "plentiful" driving range – although neither of Hyundai's existing EVs disappoint in that respect.

When Hyundai revealed the ‘45’, it talked up the concept’s cabin as being a "smart living space.” That descriptive was used again in conjunction with today’s official image.

The design study was innovative, with highly adjustable seats, wireless connectivity – and a glove box space designed as a set of drawers.

Hyundai Motor Group – which encompasses the Hyundai and Kia brands, plus the upmarket Genesis marque that is not represented here, aims to sell 560,000 battery electric vehicles in 2025 – with its eyes set on becoming the world's third-largest maker of "eco-friendly vehicles". That count will also include hydrogen fuel cell cars.