So, I have had an Ioniq EV since Sept. I drive a lot, and even more with a new car (plus some occasional Uber/Lyft driving), so that equals nearly 5500 miles. That has given me some time to rethink my assumptions and to get to know the car, and I'm thinking I should not have bought this car.
First, why I went with the Ioniq. After my Honda Clarity PHEV, I decided one car for everything didn't quite do it (most PHEVs either aren't that great as gas cars, as my Clarity only had a 7gal tank, or they leave a lot to be desired as an electric). Fast charging tech and infrastructure isn't quite there to only have an electric without VERY well planned trips and potentially some big compromises. So, I wanted to have a gas car and an electric to maximize my options.
I would have considered the Tesla 3 despite that last point (if I got that, it would have likely replaced my Sonata) but with the chip (and thus car) shortage, I was looking at a March delivery date. That wouldn't work because I was moving up the purchase of an electric by 6mo to a year because my Sonata was in the shop and pushing up the purchase would be cheaper than renting indefinitely (the part my car needed was on back order or on a ship for nearly 3 months, and when it finally came, Hyundai said the dealer couldn't use that part anymore as they had replaced it - heck, I'm still waiting on the new part, but they finally did a temporary fix so I could get it back). I also considered the Leaf Plus, figuring even with the Leaf's notorious battery degradation (and I am in a hot climate), with a ~220 mile range, it would be fine as a second car even if it lost 50% of its range in a few years. However, I didn't want to deal with the degradation, and the closest Leaf Plus was over 100 miles away (again, the chip/car inventory issue). I thought about the Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Niro EV, but research showed some had an issue with their motor and I didn't want to risk it as I drive a lot. Finally, in my price range, that left the new VW ID4, but I don't trust first year models.
So, I happily bought my Ioniq. Now, don't get me wrong, there is a lot I like. I have the Limited so I have heated perforated leather seats (though unfortunately, no cooling), a terrific sound system, it is QUIET and SMOOTH, and generally it is well equipped. However, there are times that the economy hybrid car origins show themselves: tires that don't grip well, relatively low power, small overall size, and why the heck does a $40K electric car not have a heated steering wheel.
The two biggest things though are the 170mi EPA average (I thought that would be fine since it would be a 2nd car), and my original assumptions about two cars. Back in Sept and Oct when I didn't need heat (save for a few nights) and only light AC use, I was getting 200 miles a charge, and when I did get 170-180 that was fine too. But now that we are in heater weather, at times I'm not crazy about the 150 or sometimes lower range I get (makes medium range day trips and short weekend trips difficult). So, I definitely do need the second car as I original thought. However, now that I'm used to the smooth and quiet operation of an EV, I hate driving my Sonata. The midsized family sedan 4cyl engine is so LOUD and rough in comparison. Now I want to either replace both with one electric with enough range to be realistic as an only car (I'm on their websites checking out the Tesla 3 and Ioniq 5 right now doing the math to see if I can eat the very early sale of my Ioniq), or I want a totally different ICE. The only way it won't drive me nuts when I drive the ICE at this point may be if I replace it with a cheap econobox or a truck which would be acceptable if it seems a bit rough, a sports car where the noise would be welcome, or a luxury car with a big smooth V6, and/or enough sound insulation to cover up the engine noise.
This choice, that was supposed to save me money long-term, might become very expensive indeed.
Anyway, while this may seem a tongue-in-cheek post, there is a serious side. If you are thinking along the lines I was, consider renting an electric for a few days before buying an electric with the intention of it being a 2nd car. I thought my Sonata was quiet and smooth enough that it wouldn't be a problem, and while it is a nice midsized sedan, compared to an electric (even a relatively basic electric) it is quite rough. So much so that I find it annoying to drive now. You may be better off going on the higher end of battery range you expect to need, not the lower end, in case you decide you want to dump the ICE after driving your EV a little while.
First, why I went with the Ioniq. After my Honda Clarity PHEV, I decided one car for everything didn't quite do it (most PHEVs either aren't that great as gas cars, as my Clarity only had a 7gal tank, or they leave a lot to be desired as an electric). Fast charging tech and infrastructure isn't quite there to only have an electric without VERY well planned trips and potentially some big compromises. So, I wanted to have a gas car and an electric to maximize my options.
I would have considered the Tesla 3 despite that last point (if I got that, it would have likely replaced my Sonata) but with the chip (and thus car) shortage, I was looking at a March delivery date. That wouldn't work because I was moving up the purchase of an electric by 6mo to a year because my Sonata was in the shop and pushing up the purchase would be cheaper than renting indefinitely (the part my car needed was on back order or on a ship for nearly 3 months, and when it finally came, Hyundai said the dealer couldn't use that part anymore as they had replaced it - heck, I'm still waiting on the new part, but they finally did a temporary fix so I could get it back). I also considered the Leaf Plus, figuring even with the Leaf's notorious battery degradation (and I am in a hot climate), with a ~220 mile range, it would be fine as a second car even if it lost 50% of its range in a few years. However, I didn't want to deal with the degradation, and the closest Leaf Plus was over 100 miles away (again, the chip/car inventory issue). I thought about the Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Niro EV, but research showed some had an issue with their motor and I didn't want to risk it as I drive a lot. Finally, in my price range, that left the new VW ID4, but I don't trust first year models.
So, I happily bought my Ioniq. Now, don't get me wrong, there is a lot I like. I have the Limited so I have heated perforated leather seats (though unfortunately, no cooling), a terrific sound system, it is QUIET and SMOOTH, and generally it is well equipped. However, there are times that the economy hybrid car origins show themselves: tires that don't grip well, relatively low power, small overall size, and why the heck does a $40K electric car not have a heated steering wheel.
The two biggest things though are the 170mi EPA average (I thought that would be fine since it would be a 2nd car), and my original assumptions about two cars. Back in Sept and Oct when I didn't need heat (save for a few nights) and only light AC use, I was getting 200 miles a charge, and when I did get 170-180 that was fine too. But now that we are in heater weather, at times I'm not crazy about the 150 or sometimes lower range I get (makes medium range day trips and short weekend trips difficult). So, I definitely do need the second car as I original thought. However, now that I'm used to the smooth and quiet operation of an EV, I hate driving my Sonata. The midsized family sedan 4cyl engine is so LOUD and rough in comparison. Now I want to either replace both with one electric with enough range to be realistic as an only car (I'm on their websites checking out the Tesla 3 and Ioniq 5 right now doing the math to see if I can eat the very early sale of my Ioniq), or I want a totally different ICE. The only way it won't drive me nuts when I drive the ICE at this point may be if I replace it with a cheap econobox or a truck which would be acceptable if it seems a bit rough, a sports car where the noise would be welcome, or a luxury car with a big smooth V6, and/or enough sound insulation to cover up the engine noise.
This choice, that was supposed to save me money long-term, might become very expensive indeed.
Anyway, while this may seem a tongue-in-cheek post, there is a serious side. If you are thinking along the lines I was, consider renting an electric for a few days before buying an electric with the intention of it being a 2nd car. I thought my Sonata was quiet and smooth enough that it wouldn't be a problem, and while it is a nice midsized sedan, compared to an electric (even a relatively basic electric) it is quite rough. So much so that I find it annoying to drive now. You may be better off going on the higher end of battery range you expect to need, not the lower end, in case you decide you want to dump the ICE after driving your EV a little while.
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