The following is a discussion with Aussie electric vehicle (EV) owner John Broughton about their purchase of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 – Techniq AWD 2021 and experience driving, servicing, charging etc.
EDITOR: I’m publishing a regular series of articles with the views of Australian EV owners about their EV ownership experience.
This will help fill an information gap as the majority of electric car news articles are about new car launches and there’s relatively little published about the longer term Australian ownership experience after you’ve paid for your electric car. Hopefully this shared information helps other Aussies make their own EV purchase decision.
Was your electric car bought or leased?
Bought new.
Please describe your purchasing / lease process experience … Easy, Mediocre, Frustrating..?
Early Hyundai days – online orders only / limited stock , fast keyboard skills required.
What has the regular servicing / dealership experience been like?
Initial and 12 month service were easy , changed dealer for 24 month service to new Chatswood branch as more convenient.
How do you regularly charge your car for day to day usage?
Plug in to standard Power point at home (scheduled for cheaper grid power time of day).
What has your day to day normal charging experience been like?
Easy , typically plug in overnight once a week.
How do you charge your car for longer road trips on the weekend or during holidays? Do you prefer any particular brand of public fast charger during road trips eg Evie, Tesla, Chargefox and why?
DC fast chargers, prefer Chargefox (with NRMA discount) or EVIE (most reliable).
What’s the farthest road trip you’ve done in your EV and what did you learn from this experience that would be useful for others to know?
Sydney to Adelaide… plan your charge stops and work out an option B to reduce stress. Charge to 80% for quicker turn around.
Ohh, and avoid B roads as we hit a kangaroo which seriously disrupted the return trip !
Does your EV have any special features like V2L reverse charging from the car to your portable/home appliances? If yes please share your experience using this special feature
V2L …. We carry a coffee machine and milk frother (although you need to use it before or after charging as V2L does not operating during charging) … have also used V2L to power my Wahoo bike trainer at race meets.
If you have roadside assist included with the car purchase/lease and have had to use it, which company provided the service and what was that experience like?
Hyundai Assist included, also purchased NRMA for additional coverage options/ charging discount … neither used so far.
If you have had issues with your car and asked for these to be fixed under warranty, did the car brand do the right thing and fix it without causing you stress?
N/A.
What are the 3 strongest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
Exterior style, Interior space, DC charge speed.
What are the 3 weakest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
No remote app, no remote app, no remote app.
Would you buy or lease this brand of electric car again and recommend it to others?
Yes – nothing close for style/features/space and value as yet.
Do you have any other comments about your electric car brand, experience etc?
We have really enjoyed our transition from ICE to EV, one pedal driving is sooo nice.
Range anxiety is only a thing if you don’t plan.
Spare parts for cars are an issue and really bad for EV’s, we were fortunate to have unlimited hire car provision in our GIO insurance which was invaluable when our Ioniq5 was off the road for 6 months after sustaining frontal plastic/panel damage from a kangaroo strike – have a plan B in case of accidents.
If you’re an Australian electric vehicle owner and would like to participate in this interview series by sharing your experience please contact me directly or add a comment below and let me know.
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