The Hyundai Ioniq
“…Ioniq is the fruit of our efforts to become the leader in the global green car market" - Mr Yang, Vice Chairman of Namyang Research and Development Centre.
The Hyundai Ioniq made its debut at the brand’s headquarters in Korea recently, and as I sat, marvelling at the tech, I found myself recalling the good old days. You remember- the cave dwelling days in the Great Rift Valley, about 200,000 years ago. We’ve made some considerable advances, haven’t we? From tree tops and caves, to huts and houses; from wolf skins and flax, to shirts and blouses…
The discovery of electricity has only accelerated the rate of our advancement. Just look at the humble beginnings of the vacuum… It was called ‘The Whirlwind’, and had to be operated by manually turning a crank while pushing it across the floor. Today’s Dyson in comparison still sucks… only, in a good way! Similarly, electric vehicles have come along in leaps and bounds. From Jedlik’s 1828 motor to, well, let’s talk about the Ioniq…
The Ioniq really is the car equivalent of the Dyson Vacuum; leading tech means that it won’t need reviving after covering small distances. Mr Yang (Vice Chairman of Namyang Research and Development Centre) assured us that Hyundai’s first dedicated electric car will far exceed the driving range of its competitors, stating that the cars range will be “well beyond [the Kia] Soul” and “bigger than our competitor that starts with an N…”- no doubt alluding to the Nissan Leaf.
Furthermore, the Toyota Prius’ rival promises “class-leading” aerodynamics thanks to several attributes; its slippery shape, and details such as moving flaps in the front grille that direct airflow around the car. Figures back up the claims declaring an impressive drag coefficient of 0.24Cd, matching that of the new Prius. Moreover, it will also be the first production car to be available with fully electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options in the range.
The name Ioniq, had you not already guessed, is a combination of the word ion, an electrically-charged atom, and the word ‘unique’. “…Ioniq is the fruit of our efforts to become the leader in the global green car market” affirmed Yang, as he assured that they made “…no compromises in performance at all”.
Marc Ward
2017 IONIQ HEV
