Hyundai New Zealand is focusing on the positives of its battery charge; but where does that leave Kona and Ioniq EV owners?

NZ interest in the Ioniq 5 coming in the second part of 2021 has been immediate.

KIWI interest in the latest Hyundai electric car since its reveal a week ago is being celebrated by the brand’s distributor – however, it has still to reconcile an issue tied to two battery-dedicated models already here.

In respect to the Ioniq Five, which made its global reveal on February 23 the first product from the Korean giant’s new electric sub-brand, Hyundai New Zealand says pre-orders have opened for a futuristic model set to land in the second part of the year and that the count has reached double figures.

Spokesman woman Kimberley Waters later clarified this to “20 pre-orders” since a specific webpage went live two days ago. Many more EV enthusiasts have sought information.

HNZ asks for a $500 deposit with each pre-order, but says that will be fully refundable if the intending buyer has a change of mind.

No price has been established for the five-seater medium crossover, the first model built on Hyundai Motor Group’s new dedicated architecture for battery electric vehicles, called Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and the New Zealand market specification is not yet clear. The car’s drawcard elements include eco-friendly materials of its interior design, to ultra-fast charging and vehicle-to-load function.

“We are really pleased by the initial interest in the IONIQ 5. Our team and dealer network are really excited about bringing this EV into New Zealand, and it seems many other EV enthusiasts are too,” says Andy Sinclair, Hyundai NZ’s general manager.

“In a matter (of) days we’ve had a large volume of people register their interest to hear more about this vehicle, as well as pre-orders.”

Ioniq Five’s roll out has timed with a big challenge for Hyundai and its sales agencies – the need to recall electric Kona SUV and Ioniq hatchback cars built since 2018 to replace their battery packs and battery management systems.

This requirement is triggered by fears of a potential fire risk.

Many countries have already initiated a recall. Waters says HNZ has yet to receive an official notification from Seoul.

“We have still not received official notification from Hyundai Motor Company, so until we have full details regarding the recall campaign we are unable to fully initiate our recall process here in New Zealand.

“One of the first steps in the recall process is to notify/inform Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the CEO of the Motor Industry Association, and then begin communicating with customers with affected vehicles.

“When that happens, the recall will appear on the Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency recall website.“

Hyundai NZ says it is still awaiting official notification of need to recall the Kona EV and Ioniq EV hatch.

Remedial action that Hyundai Motors has said is required is a massive and expensive job; 82,000 electric vehicles are drawen in – the majority being Kona EVs, but the fully-electric version of the Ioniq hatch (sold here) is also involved, as are some buses (not sold here).

The remedy is a complete replacement of the lithium-ion battery that feeds the cars’ electric propulsion. The total to Hyundai Motor is estimated to be at least $NZ1.2 billion, making it the most expensive EV recall ever.

According to the Korea Herald newspaper, Hyundai will begin the replacement process at the end of this month March in the domestic market and from April in overseas markets.

It proposes a major logistical issue for the brand’s overseas’ agencies as the batteries will have to be shipped by sea and then fitted locally, once the subject cars have been divested of the original items, which will also require safe disposal. New Zealand does not have facility for disassembly of such batteries.

It said the battery system subject to the replacement was manufactured by South Korea’s No.1 battery maker LG Energy Solutions, between November 2017 and March 2020. LG Energy is a key affiliate of the country’s leading chemical firm LG Chem Ltd, it said.

Another Korean news outlet, Business Korea, reported recently that since its launch in 2018, the Kona EV has suffered a total of 15 fires — 11 in South Korea and four overseas. Fires have also been reported in Ioniqs, and on February 15, in a Hyundai electric bus. No fires have been reported in New Zealand.

Three previous recall for the Kona are listed on the NZTA website, one specific to the EV, issued in October. This was an issue with the battery system that might also lead to a fire. The recall proposed a software update as a primary measure to address the issue. In at least one case, a NZ-new car required a complete battery change.

The owner of that car, which returned to the road last month after 68 days in an accredited workshop, has spoken with MotoringNZ. He is unsure if the replacement is of the same kind that requires replacement or if it has an improved battery.

Hyundai gives its full EVs an eight warranty on the battery; conceivably that would refresh with a replacement.

Remedial action for Kona and Ioniq EVs has begun in South Korea; battery replacement for Kona has been proposed.

POTENTIAL that two popular Hyundai electric cars might be drawn into a massively expensive recall triggered by a fire danger that has made headlines in South Korea has been acknowledged by the make’s New Zealand distributor.

Hyundai New Zealand says it is aware of the situation in the marque’s home market in respect to a spate of battery fires reported there in the Ioniq and Kona electric models.

No such events have been reported in New Zealand.

The tenor of the reply from the make’s representative, an independent distributor, in respect to questions about this seems to leave impression a recall might not be out of the question, all the same.

This is supported by latest reports from Seoul, in which the brand is on record as saying it intends to replace the batteries in 82,000 electric vehicles, including 75,680 Kona EVs, 5515 Ioniqs and 305 buses at a cost of more than $US900 million, a record amount for an EV recall.

This comes after multiple South Korean news outlets have reported the manufacturer will voluntarily replace batteries, made by another Korean brand, LG Chem, in all local market examples.

While ignored by mainstream news outlets, the issue has nonetheless become a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks for EV owners subscribing to a national Facebook forum.

Hyundai NZ spokeswoman Kimberley Waters said today that “to date, there have been no fires recorded in NZ attributable to this condition.”

She did not address a question asking if owners have expressed concern to Hyundai NZ.

In respect to the potential for a recall, she offered: “We are aware of the news that has come out of Korea.

“However, (we) are waiting for official communication from Hyundai Motor Company with regards to this recall and the number of EVs affected here in New Zealand.

“Safety of our customers is paramount, so as soon as we have a list of affected vehicles we will contact those customers to advise next steps.”

A major South Korean news outlet, Business Korea, has reported 15 individual incidents of battery-related fires having been recorded in Kona EVs.

Similar fires have also been reported in Ioniq electric cars. Recently, a Hyundai electric bus caught on fire while operating in Seoul.

Hyundai has also been caught up in an issue with the Tucson sports utility, citing a potential fire risk deriving from a braking circuit board.

The Kona launched in 2018, a year after the Ioniq released here as Hyundai’s first electric car. A heavily updated Kona EV is set for release in NZ soon and, of course, Hyundai has just revealed its first electric car to be sold under a new sub-brand, called Ioniq, that is intended to go on sale here in the second part of 2021.