Aussie electric vehicle (EV) owner interview – I spoke with Bob (not their real name, changed by request for anonymity) about their purchase of a Hyundai Ioniq 6 Techniq 2023 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..?
I was one of the first ‘drop’ customers and it was quite frustrating to purchase, given I was competing with Ioniq 5 orders at the same time where the website was having difficulty handling such load. After about 30 minutes of trying, I got through.
EDITOR: Bob’s mention of a “drop” is Hyundai Australia’s previous practice of occasionally releasing 100 or so Ioniq EV’s for sale in batches due to short supply. This meant potential buyers were all trying to load the Hyundai Australia website and place an order at the same time. Thankfully supply has improved a lot know and you can order an Ioniq 5 or 6 from the Hyundai Australia website any time.
What has the regular servicing / dealership experience been like?
I’ve only done the first month service which was quick, as there was really nothing for them to do.
Since I have an MY23, servicing intervals should be every 2 years.
I understand there is an Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) optional recall out at the moment but I would rather avoid the dealership if possible, and be without my car.
I wish they could send the recall fix out via OTA. The handover experience was also just fine.
How do you regularly charge your car for day to day usage?
I use public charging:
- plug into public AC charger up to 22Kw
- plug into public DC charger faster than 22kW
What has your day to day normal charging experience been like?
There are plenty of public and DC options available to me in the Inner West of Sydney e.g. Evie, Jolt as well as various shops.
Wait times are usually up to 30 mins for busier chargers.
I wish more EV owners would be aware of and use PlugShare to check in and provide ETAs of when they’re likely to leave.
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?
I have used NRMA, Evie and Jolt as well as Chargefox (AC).
Of them all, I would prefer Jolt given they provide 7kWh free per day.
If I’m in a pinch, I would choose Evie nearby.
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?
Hunter Valley which is approx 400km round trip. There was a public (at the time, free) NRMA charger there which I used.
Looking back, I could’ve done the entire trip without topping up with about 100km buffer but I wanted to use the NRMA charger for the first time, which was relatively pain free.
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
Yes it has an internal socket and V2L (adapter was included in MY23) but I’ve never had the need to use it.
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?
Never had to use it yet.
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?
The first thing I noticed about the car was a static noise when using Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and activating the mic, while the car was in motion.
Hyundai informed me to bring the car in for servicing but I opted not to, as it wasn’t urgent. I’m not sure they’re aware of this issue or how widespread it is, but I am aware of another owner with the same problem.
What are the 3 strongest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
- Unique styling/design can be polarising but mostly positive comments and head turns by other drivers.
- The more traditional interior is a strong aspect e.g. knobs, buttons, paddle shifters for brake regen, climate controls, volume, etc.
- Bluelink (remote/app control) is also great e.g. remote climate control start or locking your car. Safety systems/HUD also a strong positive.
What are the 3 weakest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
- This is well known but the safety systems and constant beeping is a big weakness. For example, driving through a school zone outside of the times, will still nag you if you’re over 40km/h. Speed sign recognition and going over the speed limit by 1km/h will beep at you. Yes, the system can be disabled but it’ll be turned on again at next start.
- There is also no wireless CarPlay/Android Auto but I hope they’ll send an OTA in future to provide this feature.
- Software and OTAs in general is not as strong as compared to other brands e.g. Polestar or Tesla.
Would you buy or lease this brand of electric car again and recommend it to others?
Yes, we do enjoy our car in terms of comfort, handling, space, etc. Initially we wanted the EV6 but they had supply issues, so we opted for Ioniq.
Do you have any other comments about your electric car brand, experience etc?
I have had the camera systems die on me a few times now, which is slightly concerning.
Meaning the camera feed was entirely black so I could not use the front/rear cameras to park.
Restarting the car a few times would fix it.
I hope these issues can be fixed with OTAs without having to send the car in, as to date I haven’t seen any OTAs delivered automatically.
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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