Ford F-150 Lightning, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N — Stars of the Show at Noosa EV Exhibition – CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

---

At last month’s Zero Emission Noosa’s EV & Electrify Everything Expo, Tess (our Tesla Model 3) was privileged to meet the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and the right-hand-drive Ford F-150 Lightning. Wow! One was a smooth, fast sport model, and the other looked like it was capable of going anywhere and building anything. The eager public swarmed over both vehicles and Alan from Hyundai tells me that he and his sales team talked themselves hoarse answering questions about the Ioniq 5 and 6. Alan tells me that people were more interested in the Ioniq 5 which has about 500 km range, because of the hatchback shape. It has more internal space. The Ioniq 6, on the other hand, has greater range of 600 km on a charge.

We were there exhibiting our antique Tesla Model 3 and at times had several volunteers from Tesla Owners Australia helping us deal with the public response. The brief time I was able to get away, I popped down to the AUSEV stand (equally crowded) and ogled at the right-hand-drive F-150 Lightning. One huge mofo. Majella took a lot of photos when we were lining up in the carpark before the display.

Alan told me later over the phone of his experience driving the Ioniq 5 N back home. For over an hour, he put it through its paces along the mountain roads. He described the car as having “eyeball-flattening acceleration.” In fact, “I’ve never driven a car so fast and so comfortable,” he added. “The software makes the Ioniq 5 N EV into a fire-breathing monster. You wouldn’t believe it from a car that weighs 2.2 tons.” The Ioniq N has a soundtrack to make it sound like a petrol car revving up and down as it changes through the pseudo 8-shift transmission. Though, he admits he did get tired of the sound coming from the 8 inside and 2 outside speakers. “The pedestrians would certainly hear you coming.” Alan’s excitement as he describes the experience reminds me of a little boy in a toyshop.

Alan normally rides a BMW F900 XR and tells me that the Ioniq N is way faster than the bike. He got into the habit of using cruise control for speed zones. “One minute, it is like driving a comfortable family car — then the red mist descends.” He was tempted to try drift mode, but manfully resisted. “The reason I didn’t try to drift it is because those massive 21 inch Pirelli P-Zero tyres aren’t cheap to replace.” Alan has driven the Tesla Model 3 SR and tells me the Hyundai Ioniq N “is vastly superior, plus it is SUV sized.”

He reminded me of when Hyundai first came to Australia in the 1990s with the Excel and the slogan “drive away no more to pay.” They upended the Australian small car market, and are now a contender in the EV market, with more stock available than ever before. The N, however will set you back AU$118,000. It is no Excel. The regular Ioniq 5, once hard to get, is now available with only a two-week wait. Alan suggests we keep our eyes open for the run-out sale of the 2023 Ioniq 5 model — there may be bargains to be had.

Alan drives an Ioniq from 2022 with a 38.3 kWh battery which uses 12 kWh per 100 km driven. The Ioniq 5 N by contrast uses 27 kWh per 100 km. It has a 84 kW battery with a stated range of 380 km on a charge.

The Ioniq 5 N is getting quite a reputation for itself, actually beating Tesla in the Pike’s Peak run. Even Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear describes it as his favourite electrical car. “Electrical cars bore me,” he said. This one didn’t. “… then I put my foot down and, sweet Jesus, it was fast. Not Ferrari fast. Much, much faster than that … it set off like Usain Bolt after someone had just given him a wasabi enema.”

Meanwhile, back at Zero Emissions Noosa, the F-150 Lightning was attracting massive amounts of attention. This vehicle has been imported by AusEV and is being retrofitted for Australia’s right-hand-drive roads. AusEV is using similar marketing to what Tesla uses, quoting prices less fuel savings and highlighting a drag time of 0–100 km/h in 4 seconds — while towing another truck. Does thtat remind you of anything? If you don’t believe me, watch the video.

AusEV was established in 2021 and also imports the XOS MDXT (Medium Duty) and XOS HDXT (Heavy Duty) trucks. It is an Australian owned distributor of commercial electric vehicles (EVs). Its website describes the company’s mission as: “… to expedite the transition of electric vehicles to right-hand drive (RHD) markets while enhancing customer access to every aspect of the EV supply chain.” AusEV is part of a larger Australian group which has “a long history of importing, remanufacturing and retailing thousands of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.”

Interest in the adapted F-150 Lightning was high. Check out the video of AusEV staff showing the vehicle to the entranced public. Very cool was the verdict. The Ford F-150 Lightning with luxury specifications is listed as AU$209,900, but less fuel and service costs, it’s a mere AU$154,550. Of course, it depends how much driving you do. The commercial-spec Lightning sells for AU$179,900, or AU$124,600 if you factor in fuel and serving savings.

A handy graph compares the running costs of the F-150 Lightning with its expected competition, assuming AU$2 per litre for petrol and thousands of dollars for servicing. AusEV offers free servicing for the first 5 years. Home charging is factored in at 8 cents per kWh. But what about that purchase price? Let’s compare the F-150 Lightning with its expected competition: Ford Ranger AU$66,000; Ford F-150 AU$106,000, Toyota Land Cruiser 300 AU$96,991, Toyota Hilux AU$63,000, and Mitsubishi Triton AU$42,000.

It is difficult to make comparisons due to multiplicity of trim levels and use scenarios. But it is obvious that the Lightning comes with a premium price that will appeal to businesses that need to do a great deal of travelling or need an electric vehicle due to safety concerns, as in the Australian mining industry.

The regional Australian EV community welcomes these entrants to the market and wishes them well. This is yet more evidence that the regions are ready for EVs as the future becomes brighter and more electric!