There have now been two videos regarding damage to the batteries on customer Ioniq 5s in Canada. Here's the latest from which you can find the original: It appears two Ioniq 5s have been written off due to damage caused by running over objects on the road. It also appears, to me, that Hyundai designed the protector plate to protect the battery with an inappropriate material to actually protect the battery. This is a design flaw that causes a safety issue for the battery. I've owned many SUVs that I've taken off-road and could hear the skid plates doing there job. But, they all protected the engine and transmission from damage (which is the whole purpose). Was it the fault of the customers in running over objects on the road that damaged the protector plate? Yes. Was it the fault of Hyundai for designing a protector plate that doesn't actually protect the battery pack? Yes. Hyundai Canada are getting a lot of bad publicity over this. They've lost a lot of potential customers over this too. People that were contemplating buying an Ioniq 5, 6 or EV6 are no longer considering the vehicles. I understand the costs, I see a design flaw, I do not understand why these vehicles were written off if the costs could have been split 50/50 with Hyundai beefing up the protector plate to prevent similar incidents from causing a write off.
A quick search shows pretty much every EV (except for high ground clearance trucks) has similar cases of battery damage from underbody hits totaling the vehicle. It's not just Hyundai. This story is a good reminder of safely driving any EV, but IMHO is not a deal-breaker for purchase.
I noticed the contributing affect after getting quotes on vehicle replacement insurance as I expect mine to be delivered early January. (~double what was in 2020) Cars (not just EVs) get written off for a lot of reasons these days, not exceptional to Hyundai in particular (as mentioned above). I will happily purchase my I5 when it arrives as the positive reviews far outnumber the complaints, particularly with owners I have met at charging locations. I agree Hyundai should look into beefing up the "protection plate", additionally, at least become more involved as a corporate when this situation occurs (ie: lower the pack replacement costs as a start) bring in line with Tesla and VW.
On the other Ioniq forum, there's been a discussion about this as well. I think having replacement insurance for this car, and the I6, is a must. I have 5 years for my I6. This is because there is no 2ndary refurbishing and repair facility yet for these cars, unlike the Teslas and many other brands. Our cars are still too new to warrant such a business. But in 5 or 8 years I expect there will be. But if you are in an accident where the battery has to be replaced, regardless of fault, your car will be written off, and you will only get market value at the time. And we all know how quickly resale drops on new cars, today.
Yes, you need replacement insurance for sure. The cost of insuring my new Ioniq 6 this year in BC was LESS than the cost of insuring my new Subie Forester way back in 2018. Both had, of course, new car replacement insurance.
Yeah these stories are discouraging for sure BUT when you hit something (rock, steel, other debris) at 100kmh not much is going to protect that battery. The piece that is under there is just for stream lining and helping to keep under body clean(er)....I do not believe for a minute it is there to "protect" the battery from a high speed debris impact. Recently a local 2021(iirc) Silverado Diesel pick up truck took out its oil pan, most of the crank shaft and transmission when a big piece of schedule 40 pipe bounced up under the truck. Do not know if the truck was written off but replacing a diesel and the tranny is not a cheap proposition and I suspect it ran into well North of $25,000! The only reason I put any number on it as I have bought a few crate engines in my life and I know how pricey they are. So any vehicle can take a major hit at high speed and no skid plates likely will not save you! Cheers Mike 2022 Hyundai Ioniq5 Ultimate Cyber Gray 2017 Nissan Leaf SV black Misc other vehicles that still running dinosaur juice!
