Hyundai launches second made-in-Singapore EV, expands charging options
Hyundai adds SP Mobility as a service provider for EV charging
SOUTH Korean carmaker Hyundai launched its second made-in-Singapore electric vehicle (EV) on Friday (Jul 19), opening order books for a locally assembled version of its Ioniq 6 sedan.
Four models are available: two with 53 kilowatt hour (kWh) batteries that need a Category A Certificate of Entitlement (COE), and two with 77 kWh batteries that need a Category B COE.
Prices range from S$192,150 to S$244,850, including COE.
Production began at the end of June at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) in Bulim Avenue.
HMGICS, an advanced research-and-assembly facility in the Jurong Innovation District, is the Republic’s first EV factory. It was officially opened in November 2023.
Assembly of the first locally produced EV, the Ioniq 5, began in early 2023. Both the Ioniq 5 and 6 take around 9.5 hours to produce. The factory also produces an autonomous version of the Ioniq 5 for US-based robotaxi company Motional.
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South Korean-made versions of the Ioniq 6 have been available in Singapore since July 2023, but will now be replaced by locally made ones.
More software updates, new services
Unlike Hyundai cars that are made elsewhere and sold here, the new Ioniq 6 debuts a new feature: more comprehensive updates of the car’s software over the Internet, known as over the air (OTA) updates.
Last year, the Singapore-made Ioniq 5 debuted Hyundai’s app-based Bluelink Internet-connected services and OTA updates for its navigational maps.
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The Ioniq 6 has both of those features, but is also capable of updating more key functions via OTA, such as safety and infotainment.
Hyundai did not give a timeline for the introduction of similar functionality for the Ioniq 5, although it is exploring the addition of Bluelink to all of its models eventually.
Separately, Hyundai is expanding charging options for owners of its EVs. An agreement has been signed for SP Mobility to be the second provider of destination charging – that is, charging outside the home – for Hyundai owners. This is in addition to current provider Charge+, which has expanded its charger network to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Hyundai’s flexible charging credit scheme with OCBC has also been expanded. Owners with an OCBC credit card will receive charging credits that can be used at 17 charge-point operators in Singapore, up from seven previously.
Local firm Power Up Tech will continue to provide mobile EV charging services, in which a vehicle comes to charge an owner’s EV on-site. Owners get a maximum of five charges a month, for up to 12 months.
In addition to this, the company will now also provide assistance services such as emergency charging, 12-volt battery replacement and towing. Outside the 12-month period, owners will need to pay for its service packages.
Hyundai says its approach gives owners a wide range of choices to suit their needs.
At the time of purchase, owners can choose one of the following: installing a home charger from Schneider Electric, destination charging from SP or Charge+, Hyundai and OCBC’s flexible charging credit scheme, or Power Up Tech’s mobile charging.
Aside from these choices, Hyundai owners also have access to ComfortDelGro subsidiary CDG Engie’s charging network at discounted rates.
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