The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are two of the hottest electric car introductions of the past year. Both models are built on the same leading edge E-GMP . Platform for EVs. Both brands share the same parent company Hyundai Motor Company and are part of the same electrification master plan.
But if you’re in an area that isn’t exactly a hotbed for electric vehicles — somewhere in “overpass country,” perhaps or just Michigan — you’ll have a much harder time buying or servicing. an Ioniq 5 versus an EV6 at their respective dealership.
People in most US states won’t even be able to order a Hyundai Ioniq 5 on demand anytime soon, and so far, Hyundai has only offered one form of “interest”. Hyundai plans to sell the Ioniq 5 initially in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont — all CARB ZEV states — plus Texas, Florida, Illinois , Pennsylvania, Arizona, Virginia and Washington.
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5
If you check in with your local Kia dealer, they’ll most likely be willing to work with you to get an EV6. Kia currently offers 50 availability states for its electric vehicles.
It highlights a bit of a disconnect in the US market at the moment: Hyundai is its own electric vehicle sub-brand, and it has big vision of home energy including smart systems against blackouts and solar energy. In the US, however, Kia is making its battery-powered electric vehicles more widely available.
To paraphrase a Hyundai official who declined to elaborate on plans for a broader rollout for the brand: Be patient. Some of this has to do with the fact that Hyundai dealerships are simply not ready for electric vehicles.
2022 Kia EV6
Meanwhile, for reasons that sound partly global but also refer to a more agile sales organization, Kia has a 2.5-year head start over Hyundai in electric vehicles and has worked quickly in year to ensure the EV6 and other upcoming EVs are on the market. everywhere.
Its Soul EV launched in the United States in October 2014, while Hyundai Ioniq Electric didn’t make its US debut until early 2017. According to Steve Kosowski, Kia Motors America’s director of long-range planning and strategy, Kia has known about the arrival of the EV6 project since October 2016. For the brand brand, US market. will always be an important place for the model.
Kia sold electric vehicles in a handful of states until last year, and although the initial dealer count was about 145, that has grown to about 175 by 2021. Then around March 2021, Kosowski said. know Kia has stressed to its dealers the importance of EVs being offered $12,500 to help with charging infrastructure and urged dealers to have a conversation ready.
Kosowski said of Kia’s communications with dealers: “The bare minimum is two levels of 2 in the customer area, two levels of 2 in the store, tools and technical training and sales training. goods, then we can deliver the cars.
Just a year later, about 725 of Kia’s 775 dealerships in the US were EV certified. Kosowski said the company has grown very quickly, and as of August, Kia was able to sell electric vehicles in all 50 states. “So dealers are now in business,” he insisted.
Part of that business has made them successful in a logistical sense. According to Kosowski, 49 of their dealers have a 50 kw DC fast charger (dual format) as part of a build-up six years ago after the Soul EV. But Kia found that the high-power 22.5-kw L2 charger was more suitable in stores as the EV volume increased. Since cars are shipped for a fee of between 60% and 70%, ideally dealers need to recharge them on arrival for service, too.
Both brands have yet to provide much in terms of expected sales for these models. Kosowski concedes that under the latest CARB requirements, Kia has essentially a target in every state — one that will likely be surpassed by demand.
“We believe that market demand or market adoption for EVs is likely to be quicker and possibly more positive than some people initially think,” said Kosowski. “We are seeing it; it’s not universal; it is not on a large scale. ”
He explains that we’re at a point where forums are tracking EV6 trains and dealers are jostling for more – a sign that enthusiasm is on a whole different level from Soul’s. EVs.
In a recent survey for Kia, about a quarter of buyers said their next vehicle would be an EV, while the response rate was over 90% for motorists, Kosowski said. Current EVs.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has clarified with the launch of previous generation EVs like Electric Kona that by the time the next generation EVs arrive, they will be available in much larger numbers and possibly a 50-state issue. For now, with demand for electric vehicles growing rapidly, it’s unclear how soon that could happen.
Hyundai notes that the Ioniq 5 has an “extremely limited stock” and notes: “The Ioniq 5 2022 is only sold in extremely limited quantities in AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, MA , MD, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, TX, VA and WA. ”
Not all dealers in those 19 states will be EV certified, Hyundai warned. According to Hyundai, to be EV certified, dealers need the tools and ability to service and train, sales training for at least one person, chargers placed in public, appropriate displays and signage. .
Ultimately, the answer to why the US is short of EVs for Hyundai Motor Group’s flagship brand may lie in Europe, where Hyundai has ramped up its EVs at a faster rate than Kia’s — including including domestic production by Kona Electric — and the Ioniq 5 could come for more electrified brand recognition. Allowing Kia to catch up with Hyundai in electric vehicles in the Continent could be the reason the current Soul EV isn’t coming to the US this generation.
The answer may lie in Europe, where Hyundai has ramped up its EVs at a faster pace than Kia’s – including Kona Electric’s domestic production – and the Ioniq 5 could be coming for brand recognition. more electrification. Allowing Kia to catch up with Hyundai in electric vehicles in Europe could be the reason Current Soul EV not come to the United States in this generation.
Kia’s Kosowski doesn’t shy away from saying it either, while the brand will have plug-in hybridThe regulatory structure around greenhouse gas targets has become so steep, over the next few years, that “bang for the buck, really happens with electric vehicles.”
With Hyundai looking likely to follow in the footsteps of its parent company to reach the same conclusion, and brands like Ford and VW aiming to sell electric vehicles in bulk in the market, how long will it be before the Ioniq 5 is as widespread as the EV6? Hopefully, soon.
