rating_MR_5

The news broke a few days ago. In Fountain Valley, California, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric has just been included by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's — a non-profit organisation that campaigns (Trump permitting…) for the promotion of policies, programmes and technologies related to energy efficiency — in the list of the "Greenest Vehicles of 2017", that is, the greenest cars of the year, a ranking in which the Ioniq Electric achieved the highest rating, ahead of the BMW i3, the Toyota Prius and the Nissan Leaf.
In short, the "one-in-three" Ioniq (it is currently the only car available in hybrid, electric and — coming soon — plug-in hybrid versions) continues on its path, as the flagship of a brand that has announced an aggressive push over the coming years with the launch of many electric and hybrid models.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric in brief

In terms of looks, it is not very different from the other Ioniq models. So: a pleasant saloon, without excessive personality, with a handy hatchback. The all-electric version stands apart not so much in style — which differs from the hybrid version only in the absence of the front cooling grille and in small copper-coloured external details (a colour reminiscent of electric cables) — but above all in how it feels to live with.
This Ioniq offers the typical advantages of electric cars, which means silence, zero emissions, no vibrations. A silence so truly silent that the car even features a button (Vess) that activates a gentle acoustic signal to alert pedestrians to the approaching vehicle — an extremely useful function in urban centres and at low speeds.
In what other ways does this Ioniq Electric differ from the Hybrid version? It has no combustion engine — the one that pollutes and makes noise; it does have an electric motor, however, rated at 88 kW, or around 120 horsepower; it has no fuel tank, replaced instead by a lithium-ion polymer battery with a capacity of 28 kWh; and above all the Ioniq Electric has a real range of around 200 kilometres, enough to almost banish the range anxiety that worries so many potential buyers of an electric car. One final point, though an important one: the electric Ioniq is fun to drive! Not so much because of its top speed of 165 km/h, but more for the acceleration off the lights and for the Sport function that makes driving genuinely entertaining.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric interni — A small, flat-bottomed steering wheel like those on sports cars, excellent ergonomics and visibility: the Ioniq Electric is very enjoyable to drive. The gear lever here is replaced by a selector with convenient buttons.

Technological innovation

On an electric car, innovation is at the heart of the project as well as the reason for buying one. And innovation on the Ioniq Electric takes several forms: you will never have to visit a petrol station again, for example. All you need to do is charge the lithium-ion battery from a home socket; park it in the evening and in the morning you will have full range. Even better if you use a fast charger at a charging point — in around 20 minutes you would recover approximately 80 per cent of the range. The cables are in the boot, stored in handy containers secured by a practical net; the cable connects via a small flap very similar to a fuel cap — in short, the Ioniq is highly innovative yet as easy to use as the electric toy cars we played with as children.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric ricarica — The Ioniq can also be charged from a domestic socket. The cables are stored in the boot, whose capacity remains good despite the presence of the batteries.

Savings

Making sense of the word "savings" when it comes to an electric car is not always straightforward. In the absence of support policies and so-called incentives, the price remains fairly high. The Ioniq Electric, currently available in two trim levels (Comfort and Style), starts from €36,750. That is not a small sum — too few electric cars are still being made (and sold) for prices to be more competitive. The appeal of an electric car does, however, have other dimensions that are particularly relevant for those living in large cities such as Milan: after the latest tightening of the Area C restrictions, owning an electric car with free access to restricted traffic zones is a smart choice. As is the ability to park in blue or yellow-marked bays without paying, or to benefit from road-tax exemption. Maintenance costs are also stripped to the bone: no oil to change, no expensive scheduled services. And for whatever maintenance remains, Hyundai takes care of it anyway — on the Ioniq Electric the manufacturer includes routine maintenance in the purchase price for five years or 75,000 kilometres. Also useful is the five-year unlimited-mileage warranty with roadside assistance included and the eight-year or 200,000-kilometre battery warranty.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric hi fi — The hi-fi system is of excellent quality and includes a DAB tuner for channels that broadcast digitally.

Environment

To the undeniable advantages of the electric car, the Ioniq adds its own distinctive features. Take the materials from which it is built: many are recycled or recyclable. Once inside, you notice nothing out of the ordinary, yet the interior door panels are 20 per cent lighter than conventional ones and made from recycled plastic, obtained from a blend of wood sawdust and volcanic stone. Sugar cane has been used to produce part of the flooring and the roof lining, also improving the air quality on board. And what of the paints derived from ingredients extracted from soybean oil? For anyone wishing to explore Hyundai's environmental commitment in greater depth, the 2016 Sustainability Report is available here.

Driving peace of mind

Silence. Ease of driving. Stress reduction. No gearbox, no clutch. What do you think — isn't that many people's dream? Driving serenity, especially for those living in large metropolitan areas, has become a deciding factor when choosing a car. Performance and style take a back seat, while driving pleasure — the so-called "smooth drive" — together with safety, become the determining elements.
And Ioniq Electric, already ready for autonomous driving, is highly convincing on these fronts: the maximum score in EuroNCAP crash tests provides reassurance; the 7 airbags, all superstitions aside, make you feel protected; the stability control prevents the car from skidding during emergency manoeuvres; an electronic system that monitors the road prevents dangerous lane departures caused by inattention (think mobile phones) or fatigue (microsleep); the adaptive cruise control maintains a constant speed, sparing the driver from touching the brake or accelerator — a godsend on long journeys or in ring-road traffic; autonomous emergency braking averts rear-end collisions by automatically braking the car in the event of danger. In short, travelling in the Ioniq Electric is a relaxed experience.

Test drive

Easy, we said. Fun, however, is a word that on an electric car might come as a surprise — but the Ioniq is exactly that: fun. It may be down to the small steering wheel, almost sporty in feel. It may be that you feel immediately at home in the driver's seat, with good visibility in all directions. The fact is that the electric version of the Ioniq is a genuine pleasure to drive. There are three driving programmes, and while the first instinct is to choose the most virtuous (Eco), reassured by the 200 kilometres of real range (150 if you're travelling on the motorway), you soon feel like pushing further. First Normal, then Sport: the instrument cluster changes colour and the escalating performance becomes infectious. The Ioniq glides through fast-moving traffic, agile despite not being exactly a sylph.
The electric motor pushes hard with its 120 horsepower, and there's no gearbox: you simply press the accelerator.
In fact, on the steering wheel there are paddles reminiscent of those found on cars with sporty automatic gearboxes — except that here they serve to adjust the level of energy recovery: the higher the level (four in total), the more the car brakes on its own when you lift off the throttle, and the more energy is recovered. And what a pleasure it is in the morning, sitting in traffic, listening to the excellent quality of the DAB digital radio without needing to touch the brake or the accelerator; the adaptive cruise control takes care of everything, remaining engaged even during brief stops.
And if you make a mistake, lose concentration for a moment, the Ioniq Electric sees it and acts: a scooter missed in the mirror? The blind-spot monitoring takes care of it. A moment's distraction can be dangerous; the collision avoidance system intervenes automatically. Connectivity lets you forget about your smartphone (compatible models charge wirelessly, with no cable) and the large touchscreen allows you to manage apps compatible with Android and Apple CarPlay systems. In short, the Ioniq Electric is becoming a "real" electric car — concrete, practical, usable by the whole family.

Rear seats. The presence of the batteries does not reduce interior space, which remains very good.

Boot. The charging cables — one for the domestic socket, one for public charging points — are stored in the boot.

Charging sockets. The centre console features both a USB socket and two convenient 12 V power outlets.

The gearbox. The electric Ioniq doesn't have one, so the lever has been replaced by a push-button selector.

The detail that makes the difference

Respect for the environment shows itself in the small things too. The Ioniq's air conditioning features a "driver only" function that, when travelling alone, minimises electricity consumption by heating (or cooling) only the driver's area.

The alternatives

BMW i3 (the only one also available with a petrol generator that kicks in when the battery charge runs out), Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul.

Specifications

Version: Hyundai Ioniq Electric

Price: from €36,750

On sale from: winter 2016

Engine: electric (88 kW); power: 120 hp

Transmission: automatic

Performance: top speed (km/h) 165; 0–100 km/h (sec.) 9.9 seconds.

Consumption (kWh/100 km): 11.5

Emissions (g/km): 0

Dimensions (mm): 4,470×1,820×1,450 (l×w×h).

Hyundai Ioniq Electric: 200 kilometres of real range. And of relaxation