Ioniq’s range put to the test
also for normal use in regional and rural New Zealand.
At a media event in Queenstown, Hyundai NZ sales and marketing manager Scott Billman described the arrival of the Ioniq as possibly the most important event in the company’s history, because it will allow Hyundai to become a strong part of the forecasted rapid growth of electric vehicles.
‘‘The Government wants to see a doubling of the number of EVS in New Zealand every year, with a target of 64,000 units by 2021,’’ he told journalists.
‘‘In recent times there has been quite a bit of noise about this plan. Now the noise is getting louder – many companies are committing to the strategy.
‘‘Corporate NZ is taking a stance, with more than 30 wellknown companies pledging to have EVS comprising at least 30 per cent of their vehicle fleets by 2019.
‘‘So there’s now a real drive to make the change to EVS – and our intention is to be a part of it all.’’
The Ioniq range begins with two hybrid versions; an entry model priced at $46,990 which is about $1000 less than an equivalent Toyota Prius, and a higher-specified Elite which enters the market at $52,990.
Powered by a 1.6-litre directinjected Atkinson Cycle engine mated to a high-efficiency electric motor, the vehicle offers a total of 104kw of power and 265Nm of torque.
The big news is the fully electric model, which arrives at $59,990 for an entry model and $65,990 for an Elite – prices well below the likes of the BMW i3 and the Renault Zoe, both of which have retail prices into the $70,000s.
This car, which is easily distinguishable from the hybrid model because its lack of an internal combustion engine means it can have a solid frontal design rather than a grille, offers 88kw of power and 295Nm of torque.
Billman told journalists the new Ioniq EV offers real potential for two major reasons – its entry price point is below $60,000, and its range on a full charge is up to 200km, which is easily enough for the average daily commute. But is it? To test things out, we took an Ioniq EV on a return trip along one of New Zealand’s most scenic roads – the winding piece along the shores of Lake Wakatipu between Queenstown and Glenorchy.
Talk about range anxiety, in more ways than one. For starters, there are plenty of them (ranges, that is) towering over anyone who drives the Queenstown-glenorchy Road. Good names, too – Bob’s Peak, Jessie Peak, Mt Crichton and Big Geordie to name just a few.
And then there’s the fact that the return distance is about 170km, a large portion of which is up and over some pretty substantial hills. So it was going to be a solid, range anxiety-inducing task for an EV with a flat-road range of 200km.
By the time we got to the top of the lake we were at exactly halfcharge. So on our return we started using some on-board features designed to increase the Ioniq’s economy. We moved our air conditioning to an Eco setting, and we set a Coasting Energy Regeneration system into a maximum Level 3 which recharges the batteries using kinetic energy created when the car is coasting downhill.
At the Level 3 there is quite a pronounced level of what feels like engine braking – obviously this feeling is less at the Level 2 and almost unnoticeable at Level 1. These levels can be selected using paddles on the steering wheel, and we used them like an electric version of auto transmission down-shifting in an effort to save our remaining charge.
On the outskirts of Queenstown the Ioniq began to panic, telling us that our battery charge was running critically low. We began to panic too, responding by completely turning off the air conditioning, gently using the brakes as much as we could as we approached intersections, and even not using the car’s indicators.
As a result, we got to our destination, with an indicated 7 kilometres of battery charge left.
That was too close for comfort – our frayed nerves told us so. But at the same time the exercise proved to us that a range of upwards of 200km can be achieved in this electric car, and that the on-board computers are exceptionally accurate in advising how much juice is left and what is the remaining range.
And frankly, 200km is much more than the average commute, which means the Ioniq EV with its nil petrol consumption and zero exhaust emissions will be ideal for normal use. It’s just that it still has a range that limits it for longdistance use. But – and this is the beauty of this new Hyundai – anyone with longer-range motoring in mind can always opt for the hybrid version...