Hyundai Ioniq Electric
‘At 1% charge remaining, the car’s speed will be limited to 10mph’
Mileage 2703 List price £34,950 Target Price £33,492 Price as tested £35,605
Test range 168 miles
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN an electric car comes close to running out of battery charge? Well, after a particularly mileage-heavy weekend recently, I found out. First off, when I hit 20 miles of range remaining, the low battery warning light came up on the dashboard, with a corresponding warning message on the infotainment screen.and then, as I neared my destination and its blessed charging point, the range indicator went from 13 miles to being replaced by three dashes.very helpful…
Another warning light came on at this point, with another message telling me that power was now reduced.with 6% of battery charge left, I did reach my nearest charging point, but if I’d kept going without recharging, what would have happened?
Well, as we know from our Real Range testing, the car will continue to restrict power in order to eke out as much range as possible. At 3%, an alarm sounds to the driver, and if you make it to 1% charge remaining, you’ll be limited to around 10mph as you crawl to the nearest plug socket. Worth knowing, sure, but perhaps not worth exploring.
So, how did I come to nd myself so low on charge? Well, the cold weather was at least partly to blame; while I would regularly see an indicated range of 175 miles on a full charge earlier in the year, I now rarely see more than 168 miles. Small change, you might think, but if your journey becomes seven miles longer for whatever reason – a missed motorway junction, in my case – it makes the difference between arriving feeling relaxed or having a serious case of the jitters.
In other news, my Ioniq has developed a glitch: moving the gear selector to reverse and then back to drive unexpectedly changes the radio station. I’m not sure why this happens, but it’s jarring to be halfway through Andrew Lloyd Webber’s nest on Encore Radio, only to be suddenly interrupted by BBC Radio 4’s World at One.