SILENT CIRCUITS
Electric doesn’t mean slow and this EV goes quietly and nimbly about its daily rounds
When I was asked to test drive a fully electric car, I was a little concerned. I imagined myself stranded on the side of the road watching flashing lights as the car recharged and three kids bickered in the back.
I was also somewhat curious so I jumped at the chance. I’m so glad I did.
The first thing I notice when I sit in the Hyundai Ioniq Electric is how clean and simple it is. By “clean” I don’t mean the opposite of my usual food-smeared, crumb-infested family SUV. The car’s interior is simple and neat, free from the clutter of knobs and dials. It’s clear this car is going to be simple to control in all aspects.
The Ioniq, apart from its slick, sporty styling, has a sunroof, sits quite low to the ground and handles really well.
BIZARRE UNDER FOOT
Driving is a very different experience. At first, I lift off the accelerator approaching the lights, as I do in my regular car, and I’m surprised it just powers down and stops rather than rolling up to the line. It’s almost like driving a dodgem car at a fair but I soon learn to adjust my footwork.
After a while, I rarely need to use the brakes at all. I can instinctively control the car’s speed and come to a stop just using the accelerator. I’m already imagining savings on brake pads!
PLUG-IN POWER
I find the recharging process quite comical. The charging cables are conveniently stowed under
the cargo net in the car’s boot, and simply plug into the car at one end and into the wall in my garage on the other. It’s so simple my kids could figure it out if they needed to (although not likely given the whole child-safety aspect).
I’m also initially uneasy about leaving the car on charge, parked close to where my family sleep at night, so I plug it in as soon as I arrive home each day and take it off again just before I go to bed. For the amount of driving I do, this is plenty of time to achieve a full charge to begin each day.
I can confirm I was never stranded on the side of the road watching the grass grow beside a charging car — and that’s not the best bit. After the initial added outlay in buying an electric car, I would never have to pay for petrol again.
On top of ongoing savings, that also means there’s no more dragging young children across a busy petrol station forecourt or, worse, risking a fine and leaving them to scream at each other in the car while I pay the cashier.
SILENT POWER
I’m not one to drive in silence — with three kids, the volume level is usually around that of small aircraft engine — but I’m astounded by the lack of sound. Engine and road noise, anyway, there’s still the kids.
I nervously reverse the Ioniq out of my driveway in fear of hitting someone buried in their phone who doesn’t hear me. I live near a primary school, so I’m no stranger to using an eagle eye, but having an absolutely silent car takes my fear up another level.
One thing that surprises me as much as the silence is the car’s power. I rather incorrectly assumed electric translates to “slower car” but it doesn’t. The Ioniq picks up from stationary at the traffic lights to the posted speed just as fast as regular petrol-powered cars. Nice one, Hyundai!
SIMPLE TO USE
I can confirm my initial assumptions about the simplicity of the Ioniq’s dashboard were correct. Once I tell the car to auto connect to my iPhone, it does it every time I get back in. Apple CarPlay means my kids can control the music from the rear when the phone isn’t nestled into the conveniently placed charging dock.
Auto folding side mirrors retract as I approach with the keys in hand and, on cool mornings, the seat warmers keep our backsides toasty. (But only in the front seats, sorry kids!) The jury’s still out on the seat coolers — it may be just me, or does everyone feel as if they had pins and needles when sitting on cooled seats? I’m not a fan — give me those warmers any day!
NO LONG DISTANCE
There are a few places where the Ioniq Electric misses the mark.
The first is the compromised vision through the rear window — the reversing camera almost makes up for it with a widescreen view — but when I’m just driving along and take the occasional rearward glance, the panel across
the middle obscures my view and can be offputting.
Perhaps the biggest downside to this car, and all electric cars in my opinion, is that they have limits if you’re the type of family that enjoys the occasional road trip. We are one of those families and I could never risk an interstate drive by relying on charge stations along the way.
I really enjoyed our time in the Ioniq Electric but it would make a great second car for short distances, not the sole car to rely on for family road trips.
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