In One Charge We Trust

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 was unplugged once from the charger at our Pune office. For the next dose of electricity, it would have to reach Panaji, Goa

- Joshua Varghese

FOR ENTHUSIASTS, CARS are like family. They are beings that can be trusted and relied upon to deliver when we need them most. After growing up enjoying and relishing the thrills of internal combustion engine ICE) cars, all of us are now discovering the benefits and drawbacks of fully electric ones. The technology may be different but the feeling remains the same. While electric vehicles EV) are bridging the gap between themselves and ICE cars at a remarkable rate, the biggest area of concern for most people continues to be range. One, how far can an electric car go non-stop before it needs recharging and, two, is it safe to run it at high speed for that long?

To face a challenge like that, we needed a car and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 came to mind first. At the 2022 World Car Awards, it had won a few accolades, including the coveted World Car of the Year. It was voted the largest number of points from a pool of several ICE and electric cars from around the world. A perfect choice for our latest challenge then. With a long weekend approaching, it made sense to head to the party capital of the country and to make things more interesting, we would do the trip non-stop.