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Hyundai makes extensive use of bio materials like sugar cane in the Ioniq hybrid interior. of 124. The Chevrolet Bolt and the Volkswagen eGolf both come in at 119. The 94-amp i3 is 118. The Nissan Leaf, Fiat 500 e and Mitsubishi i-MiEV are all at 112. However, one might point out that the Chevrolet Bolt, the 119 MPGe notwithstanding, has an estimated range of 238 miles on a charge, or 114 miles more than the Ioniq Electric. While O'Brien acknowledges that, he points out that when it comes to gasoline powered cars, for those who even care about it (versus, say, the styling and the equipment and the amenities and the brand, etc.), the consideration is of miles-per-gallon. "We need to think about that more when it comes to electrified cars," O'Brien says, adding, "No one looks at the size of a fuel tank on a car." And to the point of overall range, John Shon, Hyundai Motor America's senior manager, Product Planning, notes that more than 98 percent of Americans won't drive more than 100 miles on any given day. He also says that with an MSRP of $29,500, the 114 addi- tional Bolt miles come at a cost: it has an MSRP of $36,620. Still, there is the issue of range that can't be overlooked by any OEM that is in the EV space. Hyundai is working with ChargePoint, which is said to be the world's largest electric vehicle charging network, with 32,000 charging locations, and more than 400 fast- charging sites. DC fast-charging (80 percent of charge within 23 to 30 minutes) is standard with the Ioniq Electric. O'Brien goes back to the point of effi- ciency. Yes, he says, they're working on a battery that's bigger, a battery that will be used in an EV with a longer range. "But it will not be as efficient." In other words, they believe that with the Ioniq EV they've hit the sweet spot. THE PLATFORM APPROACH While launching an EV might be in and of itself significant, Hyundai has done more than that. What they've accomplished is the development of three distinct vehicles on a single platform. In addition to the EV, there are both the Ioniq Hybrid and the Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid. So with a single platform, they put themselves in a position to compete with an array of vehicles, as in hybrids: Toyota Prius, Ford C-Max, Kia Niro; plug-ins: Prius Prime, C-Max Energi, Chevrolet Volt; EV: Nissan Leaf, Bolt, Ford Focus Electric and VW eGolf. Arguably, this approach is somewhat analogous to having a car that is available with a four-cylinder engine, a six-cylinder or a turbocharged four. Hyundai is providing variety within a single vehicle. Presumably, this is done, in part, in order to achieve greater scale than would be the case were it to have individual platforms for each of the vehicles. O'Brien acknowledges that in 2013 the industry share of hybrid/plug-in/EV sales combined was 3.8 percent and that while the number of vehicles in these categories have increased, in 30 COVER STORY