• Canada’s first mobile BEV recharging service operating in Montreal
• Fleet of Ioniq EVs to provide up to 7 kwh of battery power curb side in as little as 20 minutes

Called “Hyundai Charge Here”, the service uses three Ioniq electric vehicles as mobile donor cars that can travel to drivers that have inadvertently run out of battery power. The donor Ioniq EV can provide up to 7 kW of charge – an estimated 40 km of range – to the recipient vehicle in approximately 20 minutes.

“Hyundai is steadfastly dedicated to being a leader in the eco vehicle space and Charge Here is the natural progression of that commitment,” said Don Romano, President and CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada. “It’s still early days for the adoption of battery electric vehicles by customers in Canada. We often hear from customers hesitant to make the switch to an EV that they are concerned about range. Frankly, we can’t blame them as no one wants to be stranded on the side of the road. So, with Hyundai Charge Here, we’re giving EV owners peace-of-mind that Hyundai can help them get home or to a nearby charging station.”

The Charge Here service will be an extension of the company’s roadside assistance program, meaning customers will not be required to remember an additional phone number and the service is complimentary for 5 years from the date of purchase of a new Hyundai battery electric vehicle. The Hyundai Ioniq became available in Canada in early 2017 and is the world’s first to offer three electrified powertrains in a single vehicle: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric.

Initially, Charge Here will operate exclusively in a defined region in the greater Montreal area. While Hyundai is currently studying where specifically in Montreal to deploy the service and whether the program should eventually be expanded to other regions, choosing to begin in Montreal was an easy decision. “Montreal and the province of Quebec are aggressively supporting the transformation of personal transportation to zero emissions. So much so that in the car’s first year on the market, more than 40 percent of sales of our Ioniq eco vehicle nameplate – and nearly 50% of Ioniq EV sales – came from Quebec,” said Romano.

Charge Here is made possible by a specially-designed, trunk-mounted converter that’s about the size of a large suitcase, two Level 3 EV charging cables, and a software update to the Ioniq EV to serve as a donor vehicle. The donor Ioniq EV has been programed to allow a reversal of electrical flow from its battery through the charge port to the converter at speeds similar to a Level 3 charging station. Ultimately, the experience is similar to mobile phone back-up power devices in that they provide a quick charge to allow the user to continue in their day and find an electrical source.

While Charge Here was designed for the Hyundai Ioniq EV, the service will also work with other electric vehicles that have an SAE J1772 Combo Charging System connector.

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About Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.
Hyundai Auto Canada, established in 1983 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario, is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout Canada by Hyundai Auto Canada and are sold and serviced through more than 210 dealerships nationwide. Hyundai is also the first to offer its zero-emissions Tucson Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to Canadian customers. More information about Hyundai and its vehicles can be found at www.HyundaiCanada.com.