Hyundai Ioniq Electric long-term test review: report ten
Can owning an electric car be a viable option even if you can't charge it at home? We're finding out, with the help of the recently facelifted Hyundai Ioniq Electric...
The car Hyundai Ioniq Electric Premium SE Run by Darren Moss, deputy editor
Why it’s here To prove that electric motoring is now convenient enough to be an option for someone who can’t charge at home
Needs to Be practical and comfortable, have enough range for longer journeys, even in winter, and slash my running costs compared with a petrol or diesel car
Mileage 3752 List price £35,950 Target Price £34,891 Price as tested £35,605 Test range 170 miles Official range 194 miles
28 May 2020 – Congested charging
Let’s talk about charging electric cars and, more specifically, how much better it’s getting all the time.
First off, my Hyundai Ioniq Electric has three blue LED lights on the top of its dashboard, which not only show you that the car is charging but also offers a handy indicator of how full the battery is. If only one light is lit up, I know that the battery is a third full. With two lit up, it’s two-thirds full and… well, you can see where this is going.
The point is that without getting into the car or checking my Blue Link smartphone app, I can have a rough guide of what’s in my car’s proverbial tank by simply looking at it.
On a second point, you might have heard back in November 2018 that Volkswagen and Tesco were partnering to put new electric car charging stations into the supermarket chain’s car parks. Well, I used one of these at my local Tesco superstore the other day and it was (a) very easy and (b) free. It’s powered by Pod Point and, at my local store at least, had enough connectors for four electric cars to charge at the same time.
I felt incredibly smug as I browsed the aisles, knowing that while I was splashing out on Loyd Grossman’s special sauce, Tesco was splashing out by putting some electricity into my car.
Charging electric cars is only going to continue to get easier, too. Although I currently can’t charge my car in my driveway (a downside of living in a first-floor flat, I’m afraid), I could soon be able to charge using a lamp post. This might sound mad, but consumer editor Claire Evans has already plugged my car into one of these new charging stations, installed by German company Ubitricity.
More than 2000 such stations have already been installed in Greater London, with 7500 planned by the end of 2020. The smart charging cable required to use these stations costs £149, but I reckon it’s worth it if, like me, you’re reliant on the public charging network to keep your battery topped up.
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