The Kona and Ioniq are electric vehicle offerings from Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Motor America, but this class action alleges they have an identical defect. That is, they have less than the advertised range for their models. The complaint alleges that the batteries in the vehicles “can only attain the promised range by charging the battery to a dangerous degree.”
The class for this action is all persons or entities in the US who are current or former owners or lessees of a 2019-2021 Hyundai Kona EV or 2020 Hyundai Ioniq EV. In the alternative, a California Class has been defined for persons or entities in California.
Range is a crucial metric for electric vehicles. Charging stations are still not available everywhere, and it takes longer to charge a battery than it does to fill a gas tank. Both car companies and owners want the greatest range possible for their vehicles.
The Ioniq originally had a rather short range—only 124 miles—but in 2020, Hyundai changed the battery in the vehicle and advertised a range of 170 miles. Hyundai marketed the Kona EV as having an even larger range—258 miles without recharging.
The vehicles use lithium-ion batteries because, the complaint says, they offer “high specific energy, high power, and long lifecycle.”
However, the complaint alleges, “Starting in October 2020, a series of fires prompted mass recalls of vehicles in Hyundai’s home country of South Korea.” These included more than ten fires from the Kona’s battery pack.
The complaint claims the fires in the lithium-ion batteries “are especially dangerous because they pose fire hazards which are significantly different to other fire hazards in terms of initiation, spread, duration, toxicity, and extinction.” For example, the fires in the Ioniq and Kona appear to have begun while the vehicles are parked in their garages, begun by something the complaint calls “thermal runaway.”
In response to the South Korean fires, Hyundai changed its programming of the batteries so that they would only charge up to 90% of their capacity. The complaint claims, “Hyundai reprogrammed the battery so that the vehicles would travel less distance than the promised range.” This means that the Kona’s touted 258-mile range will drop by 26 miles.
That’s not all. The plaintiff for this class action, Sebastien Friche, has a Kona that, after subsequent downward adjustments, now has a range of just 205 miles. When his wife took the vehicle to the dealership to fix a tire, she was told that “the dealer would have to impound the vehicle until Hyundai could replace the battery.” She was told it could last for up to six months or even longer, but that the vehicle could not be released to her because of the risk of fire.
The complaint alleges that Hyundai has not been honest with customers, still selling the vehicles “with false and misleading representations regarding the range” they have. Nor has it given customers any compensation for the decreased range.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Automobile
Most Recent Case Event
Hyundai Ioniq, Kona Electric Vehicles Decreased Range Complaint
August 9, 2021
The Kona and Ioniq are electric vehicle offerings from Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Motor America, but this class action alleges they have an identical defect. That is, they have less than the advertised range for their models. The complaint alleges that the batteries in the vehicles “can only attain the promised range by charging the battery to a dangerous degree.”
Hyundai Ioniq, Kona Electric Vehicles Decreased Range ComplaintCase Event History
Hyundai Ioniq, Kona Electric Vehicles Decreased Range Complaint
August 9, 2021
The Kona and Ioniq are electric vehicle offerings from Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Motor America, but this class action alleges they have an identical defect. That is, they have less than the advertised range for their models. The complaint alleges that the batteries in the vehicles “can only attain the promised range by charging the battery to a dangerous degree.”
Hyundai Ioniq, Kona Electric Vehicles Decreased Range Complaint