Latest news with #IoniqEV
Business Mayor
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
Watch out R5? Hyundai's new £23k EV is here – and we've driven it in the UK
Move inside and you might mistake the Inster for an SUV: its concave roof means there's plenty of head room for adults front and rear, while leg room in the back is practically limo-like. You can't escape how narrow the car is, however, so taller and broad-shouldered passengers might not find it all that roomy up front. The seat bases are shallow and the backrests lack a bit of lumbar support, but the fixed armrest offers some comfort and the cupholders that sit underneath are handy. Such generous passenger space limits the boot capacity to 280 litres, but you can slide the two rear seats forwards independently to increase the volume. You can even fold down the front pair to store longer items or lie down and take a nap. The 10.25in touchscreen infotainment system is easy enough to use but not as intuitive as the Google-based set-up in the 5. Furthermore, it can be a little sluggish to respond to inputs and its Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality isn't wireless. The digital dash is graphically strong and customisable. And for all the touchscreen-dominated cars we test these days, it's refreshing to step down into a small EV and have a neat cluster of large, tactile physical buttons to prod and poke. You don't need to take your eyes off the road to adjust the fan speed or temperature and the row of buttons for the touchscreen are useful for function-hopping on the move. The plastic on the doors, dash and lower down by your feet may feel cheap, but there's a robustness to the cabin that suits the Inster's vibe and cloth-like material on various touchpoints adds a premium air. Read More LMI showing transportation market flip is coming - FreightWaves Ultimately the interior feels like its been thought about and created specifically for the inster, rather than simply being a scaled up or saled down version on of Ioniq EV's interior. READ SOURCE
Straits Times
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Indonesia's flip-flops and indecision stall investment say analysts, after LG pulls out of $11b nickel project
Data from Indonesia's automaker association showed that EVs comprised 12.46 per cent of Indonesia's total new vehicle sales of 70,892 for March. PHOTO: AFP Indonesia's flip-flops and indecision stall investment say analysts, after LG pulls out of $11b nickel project JAKARTA -- The decision by South Korean company LG to exit a US$8.45 billion (S$11.1 billion) plan to build an electric vehicle battery supply chain in Indonesia has sparked debate over Jakarta's inconsistent policies and slow decision-making . LG Energy Solution, the world's third largest EV battery maker, disclosed its decision on April 21, citing 'market conditions and investment environment'. LG led the consortium that was meant to develop a nickel mine, build smelters and construct a battery cell plant in Karawang, West Java, under a memorandum of understanding signed with Indonesia in Dec 2020. Indonesia holds the world's largest nickel reserves. Some industry observers have described LG's move as a setback to Indonesia's plans to build an EV ecosystem, and its ambitions to develop downstream industries around its mineral resources. But the government has insisted the mega project is on track. On April 23, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said development and production would continue as planned, with China's Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt as the new lead company. 'There is no change in our plan to make Indonesia a global EV production base,' Mr Bahlil said. On the same day , Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani said that it was the Indonesian government who had decided to terminate the partnership with LG on Jan 31, after years of stalled negotiations. Questions have arisen over the surprise entry of Huayou, and whether LG pulled out or was ejected by the government. Industry analyst Fabby Tumiwa said the Indonesian government should explain what had really happened behind the scenes, and its reasons for selecting Huayou, which makes EV battery raw materials. 'For the sake of public accountability and transparency… we need to know what really was going on and what basis was used to go with Huayou, after spending long years of negotiation with a different party,' Mr Fabby told The Straits Times. At a forum in Parliament on April 24, economist Drajad Wibowo explained that five years ago, LG and its partners were invited by the government to invest in the EV battery project. This was in anticipation of South Korean carmaker Hyundai launching its Ioniq EV, which uses nickel-based batteries and is produced locally, in 2022. But the government unexpectedly introduced a new policy in early 2024 that exempted imported EVs from tariffs for two years. This led to the quick entry of other EV brands, including China's BYD, which ate up the market share of Hyundai and others that had invested in building assembly plants in Indonesia. BYD cars use batteries powered by cheaper iron phosphate, a mineral that is not abundant in Indonesia. The Indonesian government had also offered BYD reductions on luxury goods tax normally imposed on vehicles with a high price tag , said Mr Drajad. 'With the same specifications, the price of an Ioniq car is about 50 to 60 per cent above the BYD car here,' Mr Drajad told the forum, pointing out that the Ioniq's market share in Indonesia has been on the decline. Data from Indonesia's automaker association showed that EVs comprised 12.46 per cent of Indonesia's total new vehicle sales of 70,892 for March. BYD had the lion's share of sales that month at 54 per cent, followed by other Chinese makes Wuling (13.6 per cent) and Cherry (11.2 per cent). Hyundai falls outside the top five selling brands, with just 3 per cent of total EV sales. Analysts also point the finger at slow processes and indecision at Indonesia's state-owned enterprises, which usually partner with foreign investors and take a stake in these projects. Such management indecision is partly caused by previous cases in which SOE executives have been prosecuted for losses arising from the usual course of business, and received sentences akin to those meted out for fraud, financial mismanagement or abuse of power. The law was only amended in February to shield directors from personal liability for decisions 'made in good faith and with reasonable care'. On the heels of the LG decision, the world's largest battery maker CATL was reported to be scaling back on its Indonesian EV battery project. It will slash more than half of its planned US$6 billion investment due to weak global demand and shifting market projections, according to an April 23 report by CATL was allowed to buy about a half of a large nickel mine in North Maluku province in December 2023, on condition it invests in building processing facilities to turn nickel ore into intermediate products and EV battery cells. CATL has started building a battery cell plant in Karawang and expects to complete it by mid- 2026 . Mr Nurul Ichwan, a deputy minister in charge of promotions at the Investment Ministry, told that the government and CATL are discussing how the Chinese company should adjust its funding, taking into account how many years it will take to recover its investment. 'We understand, the new calculations (investment spending) would remain promising,' Mr Ichwan said, adding that latest developments showed global EV demand is not as strong as expected. Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja has been Indonesia correspondent at The Straits Times since 2008, and is based in Jakarta Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
WIRED
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Review: The World's Most Comfortable Car
Hyundai is on a roll, part of a wider South Korean culture and design boom. But can the magic extend to a plus-size, pure electric people carrier? The Ioniq 9 is here to rearrange your preconceptions about exactly what 'utility' means. It's also stretching the brand further upmarket than it's previously been. Design and tech leadership elsewhere in the range have boosted corporate confidence, no doubt about that. Hyundai calls its design philosophy 'aerosthetic,' and it aims to be aero-efficient and playful without polarizing opinion. The brand's signature pixel lights are present and correct, and there are cleverly worked radii if you look closely. The company's director of design, Simon Loasby, compares the Ioniq EV range to chess pieces; they're obviously related, but each has its own distinct character. In which case, the Ioniq 9 must be the King or Queen, and it has traded the Ioniq 5's '80s vaporwave vibe and the 6's more outré Raymond Loewy look for a lantern-jawed stoicism. Some might accuse Hyundai of a disappointing retrenchment here, but this is a large MPV we're talking about. It's stately rather than sexy. There's always the related Kia EV9 if your tastes are more extrovert. In any case, the Ioniq 9's boxy form is more streamlined than it looks. It has a curved roofline and a tapered tail, resulting in a drag coefficient of just 0.259. That's impressive for a car of this size and shape. Lower drag, of course, is important in an EV, because it helps eke out additional range. No Lidar Lump Courtesy of Hyundai The 9 also manages the airflow beneath its body effectively. Active aero is usually the preserve of heavy hitters such as Ferrari and McLaren, but there's a flap under this thing that sends cooling air to the battery and drive system when needed. The mechanism even combines a straight movement with a rotation to eliminate gaps and quell interruptions to the air flow. Unlike the Lidar lump that rather ruins the Volvo EX90's otherwise svelte surfaces, the Ioniq 9's windscreen, tailgate glass and interior sensors handle the connectivity and Level 2 autonomous driving requirements. Three versions are available, each equipped with a thumping NCM lithium-ion 110.3-kWh battery but offering various power outputs. The single-motor car makes do with 215 bhp, while the most potent is the dual motor, 429 bhp Performance AWD. Hyundai claims a maximum range of 335 miles (EPA) for the single-motor RWD car. WIRED's test car is the mid-ranking Long Range AWD, dual motor, but with a smaller overall power output of 309 bhp. Prices and specifications are still unconfirmed, but we expect this version to cost around £74,000 in the UK (about $94,000). The Ioniq 9 sits on Hyundai's E-GMP architecture, a modular platform that underpins other Hyundai and Kia EVs. It uses a compact electric power system that combines the motor, transmission and inverter into a single unit. That means it also has an 800-volt battery system, enabling the Ioniq 9 to charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 24 minutes—assuming you can find a 350-kW charger. And there's vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, so you can use that huge battery to run household devices. Indulgent Interior Courtesy of Hyundai Settle behind the wheel and you immediately notice the commanding driving position and fabulous seats. These are two of the pillars on which the Range Rover's reputation is made, so it's off to a good start. In some markets, the 'Relaxation' chairs have full massage functionality, and the middle row can be swiveled around to face the rear seats. It's not too laborious a procedure. Happily, the seats in row two are just as accommodating as row one, and even row three isn't too parsimonious when it comes to legroom. With that row folded, there are 1,323 liters of storage space.
