Hyundai Ioniq Electric can’t quite go distance
While competitive, its 124-mile range comes up a bit short
How big of a limitation is a battery range of 124 miles in an electric car? Not crippling, but meaningful, I learned in a week driving Hyundai’s 2017 Ioniq compact electric car.
The Ioniq Electric is one of three new alternate-fuel Hyundais that share the same hatchback body. There’s also a conventional hybrid we previously reviewed. A plug-in hybrid goes on sale late this year.
The three are Hyundai’s bid to boost its image for producing high-tech, environmentally friendly vehicles. Hyundai has built hybrids before, but the Ioniq is the first with a unique body style.
The Ioniq Electric’s range would have made it a leader a year ago, but the Chevrolet Bolt changed the game when it hit the road with a 238-mile range last year.
The Ioniq Electric competes with electric vehicles (EVs) such as the Bolt, BMW i3, Fiat 500e, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf. It also will compete with the Tesla Model 3 and ’17 Volkswagen e- Golf when they go on sale.
Prices for the Ioniq Electric start at $29,500, plus $885 in delivery charges. It takes about 4.25 hours to recharge from a 220- or 240-volt outlet. The hybrid, with smaller batteries and a gasoline engine, starts at $22,200. I tested a wellequipped Ioniq Electric that stickered at $36,000. It included several features EVs often omit, including a power sunroof, adaptive cruise control and memory for the driver’s settings. My test car also had leather upholstery, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, blind-spot alert, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert, wireless phone charging, navigation, voice recognition and a touch screen. The Ioniq’s price is competitive with other EVs in terms of features and driving experience.