The Hyundai Ioniq Electric is by all accounts a good little car, because it sells well alongside its hybrid stablemate. In 2017, these started selling in the United States too, challenging the markets the Toyota Prius had exploited. Clean Technica reports the Korean Company advised an Ioniq battery shortage in Canada on May 14, 2018. Moreover, this could have implications for the entire industry.
The Full Text of the Hyundai Ioniq Electric Advisory
“Due to a temporary global battery supply shortage, the sold order entry system for 18MY Ioniq EV will be closed effective immediately. The 19MY Ioniq EV will be opened at the same time. This is to allow for pre-sale of 19My Ioniq EV, with deliveries beginning in July.”
Green Car Reports approached Hyundai Motor America and learned that, “the company is facing a global battery shortage. Moreover, the same shortage affecting buyers in Canada is likely affecting buyers in California too.” The Hyundai electric Ioniq MY will have improved driving range, and a choice of two storage batteries. The larger one will ratchet driving range to 238 miles.
These Developments Do Not Bode Well for Electric Car Transport
The Hyundai Ioniq Electric battery shortage situation highlights the delicate phase in which the electric car rollout finds itself. The industry needs volume to justify its existence against petroleum vehicles to survive.
Moreover, it still needs to convince utilities to implement distribution measures adequate for mass recharging. Perhaps Tesla was right after all, to build its giga factories first before going to mass markets.
Tesla may yet hold more cards than German manufacturers Daimler and Volkswagen. Because the latter want to secure their own independent supply chains. We need to watch this one carefully as China strikes out to secure cobalt supply chains. It wants become the world’s largest battery manufacturer by far, and China is high on resolve.
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Preview Image: Hyundai 2017 Ioniq Electric
