The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Hyundi’s 2022 Ioniq 5 electric cars following reports of a sudden loss of power while driving reported by more than two dozen drivers.
A view of the Hyundai's electric IONIQ 5 model car during the introductory event in Istanbul, Turkey ... [+]
The safety probe comes after 30 people said they heard a loud popping noise, saw a warning on their dashboard and then experienced a sudden loss of power to varying degrees–some had a partial loss and others lost power all together, the Office of Defects Investigation reported.
The problem comes from the cars' charging units, the agency said, which are meant to power both the hybrid vehicle battery and the low voltage battery, but are experiencing an over current and failing to charge the low voltage battery.
No injuries or crashes have been tied to the issue.
Hyundai said Monday it is launching a service campaign in July that will update impacted vehicles' software and replace the charging units if necessary, Reuters reported.
The Hyundai Ioniq debuted in 2016 and was marketed as the first car to be sold in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric variants. The Ioniq 5 was first produced in 2021 and is a battery electric compact crossover SUV. Hyundai Motor Group, whose brands include Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, sold 510,000 electric cars last year, CNBC reported, up 41% from the year before. The increase reflects the larger trend in rising demand for electric cars, the International Energy Agency reported. The agency's Global Electric Vehicle Outlook shows that more than 10 million electric cars were sold worldwide in 2022 and predicts a 35% percent increase this year.
“The car became completely unresponsive,” according to one complaint filed with the safety agency. The driver reported traveling 75 mph at the time of the malfunction and having to pull over on the side of the highway with an 18-wheeler behind him and to one side. “The car stopped accelerating,” the complaint added.
39,559. That's how many 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5's are expected to be on the road.
The United States’ Electric Vehicle Market Is (Finally) On The Move (Forbes)
Toyota Stock Soars To 11-Month High As Automaker Unveils Next- Generation Of Electric Vehicles (Forbes)
EVs Just Made China The Largest Exporter Of Vehicles, Threatening American Jobs (Forbes)