We’re expecting cars, and trucks and SUVs, to do increasing numbers of tasks seamlessly besides hauling our bodies and knickknacks around. An abundance of technology is turning cars into entertainment centers, shopping planners and impromptu shelter out in the woods, depending on vehicle and optioning. Hyundai’s new, all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV has just copped an accolade for its own multitasking capabilities, receiving a 2021 Best of What’s New award from the editors of Popular Science magazine for one such technical advance.
Specifically, Hyundai received the accolade for the Vehicle-to-Load electronics, V2L for short, that are engineered into every edition of the IONIQ 5. Effectively, it allows the midsize EV to function as a battery charger, allowing owners to power laptops, cooking gear and entertainment consoles wherever the party’s happening, all by plugging into a V2L outlet at the IONIQ 5’s charging port. You can use it to send emails, chill your libations or even jump-start another EV whose batteries have run dry. The IONIQ 5 is just now hitting the showrooms.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 