Inster — Hyundai’s Ultimate Urban EV

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The Inster sits in front of the dealer’s lot, dressed in khaki. Is it Grannie’s “Ultimate Urban Assault Vehicle” to handle the chores in the cut and thrust of congested traffic? It certainly appears versatile and capable. The backseats fold flat for extra luggage or grocery space, or even to fit in a mobility device. The front seats fold down for a nap. A massive 1009 litres of space is created when the back seats are folded down! This particular car pictured above and below was currently being evaluated for purchase by an elderly couple. They were coming back later that day to make sure the wheelchair fits in the back.

Hyundai’s Inster was crowned World Electric Vehicle for its innovative design and intuitive technology. Hyundai tells us that this car will keep you comfy and connected. The Inster comes in three variants — the standard range, the extended range, and the cross (for the silver haired off roaders). Every week on the news, there is a story of someone pressing the wrong pedal when they are parking at the shops. Hyundai has solved this problem with its Pedal Mismatch and Avoidance tech. The car will cut power when the front camera system and radar detect an imminent collision. So, you won’t hit a wall when trying to park at the shops.

The khaki demonstrator isn’t registered yet, so we couldn’t drive it. But it looks like it is already sold. And staff were still completing their training! The Inster has created quite a bit of interest. Its versatility is enhanced by aftermarket accessories that fit into slots in the doors to create tables, parcel shelves, even an umbrella holder. Currently, these accessories are available in Europe and hopefully are soon to be available in Australia. Although there is no frunk, a roof basket can be fitted to the Cross variant, if even more space is needed.

At AU$40,000 on road, the Inster is Hyundai’s most affordable electric vehicle. But it does not stint on space and technology. A six-foot adult can comfortably sit in the back seat, as my friend Alan demonstrated when we visited yesterday. He tells us that this “mini” Hyundai can turn inside its own length.

He told us that the Hyundai Venue is a comparable vehicle. The Venue sells for AU$25,000. So, we don’t have price parity yet. However, he points out that the Inster has more technology and a faster takeoff. In my opinion, the Inster would have to drive about 90,000 km to make up the difference in price with total cost of ownership (TCO) savings (petrol and maintenance).

But the Venue doesn’t have all the tech. Hard to get V2L on a petrol car. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability is one of those assets that you don’t know you need until you do. The Sunshine Coast recently experienced severe flooding from Cyclone Alfred. V2L comes in handy when a tree takes out your power lines. An adaptor can be fitted to the Inster charging port to give you two 240V power points. It’s available for about AU$500.

Then there is auto park, something you can get very used to in urban environments where parking is scarce and tight. The Inster has the same tech as the Ioniq 5 — app connectivity, online access, the car even gives you the weather on the screen. What a bargain.

The Inster is a bit boxy looking, but we were told that it looks better in black. The car comes in 8 different colours — my favourite is the tangerine orange. All colours are included in the price. Range is 320 km (199 miles) for the base model. The car charges from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes on a DC fast charger. Four hours on an 11 kW AC charger will take the car from 20% to 100%. At the moment, Hyundai is using NMC batteries, but next year, it will move to LFP. Hyundai’s batteries are supplied by LG Energy. Panasonic is developing solid-state batteries for Hyundai.

In Australia, it appears that the market is moving strongly to HEV. The dealership told me that they are selling 8 times more HEV than BEV. Hyundai in Australia is moving in this direction. Carmakers and their distributors are having difficulties predicting the market. It appears that HEV purchases are being driven by fear of change.

However, the consumer may not be aware of the difficulties of working on HEV drivetrains. With a hybrid, everything is crammed in — you almost have to drop out the engine to work on it. Reminds me of when I had to work on my old Mini in the seventies. Toyota is going all HEV. Hyundai is discontinuing diesel and going petrol HEV.

Does the Australian buying public have the appetite for the major change to battery electric? At the moment, it appears not, as HEV sales surge. Auto sales are facing a few headwinds Down Under. We are slowly getting inflation under control, with predictions of interest rate cuts during the coming year, but at the moment, all vehicle sales have decreased.

The Australian car buyer appears to have trust issues with BEVs. There are concerns about depreciation, how long an EV will last. The second-hand car market is in flux. We were given the example of RAM: “Buyers want to buy a new RAM truck, but don’t seem to want to buy a second-hand one. This creates problems for the buying public who want to turn over their car every three years. Dealerships are getting their profits squeezed.” At the moment, in Australia, it looks like Toyota got it right.

There are also concerns about the new Chinese brands entering Australia’s market. “Can they support their product? Will the brand still be here in 5 years?” It’s a bit of a gamble — where do you place your bets? It’s like a horse race sometimes. It is hard to predict where the automobile industry will be in 5 years time.

Why buy a particular vehicle? There are no bad cars on the road. It comes down to: price, personal connection with the sales team, and backup support. Young people are not buying on emotion or loyalty but on information. The BYD Shark is a good example of this. In my opinion, most advertising seems to be appealing to emotion — perhaps that’s the reason it is not cutting through? Read more on this topic here.

Buying habits have changed. In dealing with a new generation where people buy cars online like groceries or clothes, this is squeezing the profits of the dealership. We were told that, “At the moment, we sell more cars on the phone than in person.” The issues in the car industry are a consequence of broader social change.

Into this market turmoil comes the Inster as Hyundai’s answer to a need for smaller, more affordable, yet versatile and teched up vehicles. I predict a great future for the next generation of car buyers, bright and electrical.