The new Hyundai Ioniq EV due for arrival in Australia by the end of the year has been shown off to the public at the Australian Electric Vehicle Association expo in Brisbane on Saturday.
Its arrival in Australia, as with any other electric vehicles arriving on our shores, has been pre-empted by a lot of interest on when it will be launched for sale – and of course, how much it is going to cost.
The Ioniq, which Hyundai is offering in three drivetrains (all-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid), has been generating a lot of interest due to one fact: it has been rumoured that its pricing will come in at under $50,000 after on road costs.
One enthusiastic fan got hold of some preliminary pricing last month, sharing it on social media – those figures said the pure battery electric version would be around $44,000-45,000 (before on road costs).
But it now looks as though the pricing could go even lower, with Hyundai staff telling The Driven on Friday that, “It’ll be somewhere around $43,000-45,000”. Queensland minister Mark Bailey even suggested it might be $40,000 – but we suspect he might have been getting a little too carried away.
While the Hyundai Ioniq has a smaller battery (28kWh) and less range than its Hyundai stablemate, Â the Kona SUV electric (only 280km compared to 480km), the price could be a clincher for many Australians who simply want an electric vehicle that serves their everyday needs.
That sentiment has been commented on social media by the public, such as David Cann (@carwithplugs) who got a great pic of the Ioniq at the event on Saturday, saying, “Decided that if we must have a passenger car it may as well be the most efficient on the planet. An EV of course.”
Decided that if we must have a passenger car it may as well be the most efficient on the planet. An EV of course. pic.twitter.com/zefT1UXjEH
— David Cann (@Carswithplugs) November 10, 2018
Bailey also attended the event, snapping another image of the Ioniq as well as a few other electric vehicles on show on Saturday.
“Sick of high petrol prices??” he quipped, referring to the fact that electric vehicles can not only save huge amounts of carbon (and particulate) emissions from polluting the air, but also save consumers massive amounts of money in fuel costs.
Sick of high petrol prices?? The future is on display at today’s Australian Electric Vehicle Expo at Bris Conv Centre incl @HyundaiAus’s Ionic – the first affordable 100% EV on sale in Australia soon sub $50,000. Fuel costs a third of petrol, 2/3 less Greenhouse gas emissions pic.twitter.com/uNEoCAM82H
— Mark Bailey MP (@MarkBaileyMP) November 10, 2018
While dates for the arrival of the Hyundai Ioniq in Australia have been repeatedly delayed, staff also told The Driven that it is expected to be launched sometime in the next month – so sit tight!
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.