We can all agree that Australia needs more electric vehicle options for consumers to chose from. Given that, any news of a new entrant to our market is exciting news.
This afternoon a mysterious new EV from South Korean automaker Hyundai was spotted recharging at the NRMA charger in Bathurst, NSW. Joel Little shared the photos on the Electric Vehicles for Australia Facebook group.
Those familiar with Hyundai’s EV lineup would be familiar with the Ioniq (sedan), and the Kona (small SUV). This appears to be more of a mid-sized SUV, or at least a high-riding hatch. Interestingly the CCS2 charge port is located on the right-rear of the car, rather than the front like the existing Kona.
Aggressively hidden under black covers, it’s clear they did not want this to be revealed, but what we do see is some pretty interesting rims from Hyundai. As with most EV’s, the wheel design is optimised to reduce drag, increasing range of the vehicle.
There’s even an interior shot through the glass which shows an extremely wrapped interior, also aimed at hiding design elements from unauthorised eyes.
While we can’t see much, what do you think of Hyundai’s latest EV? Is this enough to spark your interest? While the question of range will certainly be a key one, more important will be the price, to see if they’re aiming at taking on Australia’s cheapest EV, the MG ZS EV, that would really shake things up.
Update
After posting the news online, one of my followers @13arm13arm was able to track down the registration details at ServiceNSW of the vehicle which is listed as 2020 Black Hyundai NE EV Station Wagon.
The registration expires on the 17th December 2021, which we’ll assume was for 12 months, so the car may have been on our roads for a couple of weeks now. The final thing we learn is the weight, at 2,081, that’s a heavy car, but to be expected if they’ve packed in lots of batteries for great range.
It looks like the Hyundai NE was spotted as far back as July 17th, 2020. This may also be known as the Hyundai 45 EV.
