Korean carmaker Hyundai is gearing up for the launch of its Ioniq range of electric, hybrid and fuel cell cars in Australia in the next month, as well as the Kona Electric next year.
The Hyundai Ioniq is due to be launched in Australia in October, and to ensure that Hyundai reaches all levels of the EV market, they are also releasing plug-in and standard hybrid models.
This, the manufacturer notes, is unique. “The IONIQ is the first and only car range in the world to offer the choice between an electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid,” it says in marketing blurb sent out on Monday.
The marketing from Hyundai adds to the increasing noise about EV models in Australia, with Jaguar recently unveiling its I-Pace, Tesla bringing out the Model 3 to show its customers for the first time, and Nissan due to do the same with the second generation Leaf sometime soon.
Renault has also made its electric Zoe available to the public, rather than just fleet owners.
Given the choice though, we’d go for the all-electric Ioniq without a doubt.
Featuring a 28kWh Li-ion battery, 89kWh/295Nm electric motor and up to 280 km of range, the Ioniq Electric will suit most family’s day to day transport needs.
In comparison, the Ioniq Plug-in variant is kitted out with a 8.9kWh battery and 32kW/170Nm electric motor, which can offer electric driving over short distances (up to 63km says the company) to offset petrol consumption by the 1.6 litre, 77kWh/147Nm naturally-aspirated petrol engine.
The Ioniq Hybrid however, while using the same electric/petrol drivetrain, comes with a tiny 1.56kWh Li-ion battery pack that assists the petrol-driven engine in only small bursts.
All variants offer high tech features such as connectivity with such as Buetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as wireless smartphone charging, autonomous lane keeping, emergency braking, pedestrian detection and forward collision warnings.
As for the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Korean automaker has made the wise decision to offer Australians the long-range version of their all-electric Kona.
The Hyundai Kona will no doubt reach Australian shores in the first quarter of 2019 with much anticipation, given its superior range.
Sporting a 150kW/395Nm motor powered by a 64kWh Li-ion battery, the Kona Electric has a range of up to 470km and can reach 100km/hr in a pretty quick 7.4 seconds, says the Korean carmaker.
The Kona Electric will also be offered with connectivity features, forward collision and pedestrian detection and Hyundai’s lane following semi-autonomous drive system.
It is doubtful that Australians will see the Kona’s basic variant, which offers a smaller 38kWh battery, 99kW/365Nm electric motor and a range of only 300km.
Pricing has not yet been announced for either model, although it is expected that the all-electric models will be in the vicinity of the $A50,000 mark.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.