KELOWNA, B.C. — It’s testimony to how far electric vehicles have come in the last half-decade that Hyundai Canada chose the B.C. Interior in February to launch its all-new Ioniq.
With EVs of just a couple of years ago, the very notion of having the nation’s automotive press crank up the heat and fire up the seat heaters — and in the process watch the battery range get nearly halved — would have been a PR case study in how not to unveil a new EV.
But in the case of the all-new Hyundai Ioniq EV — with a full-charge range in the 200-kilometre neighbourhood — turning up the heat in the vehicles did not turn up the heat under the collars of the company’s communications staff in Kelowna during a cold and snowy snap.
Quite the opposite in fact, as experiencing the Ioniq EV in winter conditions demonstrates just how adaptable the vehicle is for Canadian drivers in far from ideal driving conditions. With the heat turned up to high, the two front seat heaters on and the rear defrost activated, the full-charge display went from 197 to 160 kilometres, still more than any EV apart from a Tesla could boast until this model year without any heat on.
