If you’re seeing more electric Hyundai SUVs out and about, it’s not just you. Hyundai Motor America sold a record number of IONIQ 5 models in May as EV sales continue trending higher.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 is on a hot streak with record May sales
After launching in the US in 2022, Hyundai’s first dedicated EV, the IONIQ 5, has continued climbing the sales charts.
With nearly 34,000 models sold, the IONIQ 5 was the sixth best-selling EV in the US last year. It was only outsold by the VW ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevy Bolt EV, Tesla Model 3, and Tesla Model Y.
Hyundai has continued its hot streak this year despite talk of an “EV slowdown.” IONIQ 5 sales reached a new record in March, with 3,361 models sold, up 58% year over year (YOY).
The growth pushed Hyundai to a new first-quarter EV sales record, climbing 62% YOY. In April, Hyundai sold 3,702 IONIQ 5s, up 59% YOY.
Hyundai has carried the momentum into May, with IONIQ 5 sales reaching 4,449, setting another new monthly record. Through the first five months of the year, nearly 15,000 IONIQ 5s have been handed over to customers in the US. That’s up 43% from the 10,505 sold at this time last year.
January
February
March
April
May
2024 YTD Total
% Chg YTD
Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales
1,465
1,993
3,361
3,702
4,449
14,973
+43%
Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales by month 2024
Sales of the IONIQ EV brand were up 42% in May, with 1,099 IONIQ 6 models sold. Hyundai IONIQ 6 sales are also up 188% YOY through May.
In an exclusive interview with Electrek last month, Hyundai America CEO Randy Parker said the automaker is “humble and hungry” to separate itself from EV rivals.
The automaker already has six of the top ten most fuel-efficient EVs in the US this year, according to the US Department of Energy, but Parker explained Hyundai aims to give consumers even more confidence.
Hyundai wants to give buyers the confidence to go electric with long-range, fast-charging, and boldly designed EVs, like the IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and upgraded Kona Electric.
Hyundai is opening its first EV and battery plant in the US later this year, which is expected to spark even more momentum.
Once EV production is ready at the plant in October, Hyundai will begin assembling the IONIQ 5 in the US. Although the battery unit will open about a year later, Hyundai expects the IONIQ 5 to become eligible for the $7,500 tax credit. In the meantime, Hyundai has been passing the credit on through leasing.
Hyundai EV drivers will also have access to Tesla’s Supercharger network by the end of the year. Parker said Hyundai will begin shipping NACS adaptors out in Q1 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Despite US rivals like Ford and GM pulling back on EV initiatives, Hyundai is doubling down on its strategy, Parker told Electrek.
Hyundai’s EV sales are already outpacing those of its rivals. What will happen when US production begins, and Hyundai’s EVs gain access to the $7,500 federal tax credit?
With some of the most affordable and fuel-efficient EVs on the market already, Hyundai is making its presence known. The upgraded 2024 Kona Electric with more range, faster charging, and a sleek new design starts at under $33,000. Hyundai’s IONIQ 6 starts at $37,500, while the IONIQ 5 starts at $41,800. All of which are listed with a $7,500 Featured Cash Offer.
The automaker’s first three-row electric SUV, the IONIQ 9, is expected to make its global debut later this year. Hyundai’s larger electric SUV has already been spotted testing in the US (see the video here).
If you’re ready to see what Hyundai’s electric vehicles are all about at some of the lowest prices yet, we can help you get started today. You can use our links below to find deals on Hyundai EV models at a dealer near you.
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The all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ was an Electrek favorite when it first made its debut two years ago. Now, LYRIQ buyers who have been waiting for a deal can score more than $10,500 in discounts on the Ultium-based Caddy.
Our own Seth Weintraub said that GM had come in, “a year early and dollar long at $60K” when he first drove the Ultium-based Cadillac LYRIQ back in 2022. He called the SUV “a stunner,” too, heaping praise on the LYRIQ’s styling inside and out before adding that the EV’s ride quality really impressed on long journeys.
Well, if the first mainstream electric Cadillac was a winner at its original, $57,195 starting price (rounded up to $60K for easy math), what could we call it at $10,500 less?
That’s a question that’s suddenly worth asking, thanks to huge GM discounts on the LYRIQ that prompted the automotive pricing analysts at CarsDirect to name the 2024 LYRIQ one of the industry’s “Best New Car Deals” this month:
A slew of incentives can enable you to save big on a 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ. First, EVs eligible for the federal tax credit qualify for $7,500 in Ultium Promise Bonus Cash from GM. Additionally, competing EV owners can score $3,000 in conquest cash.
With more than 100 kWh of battery capacity and 300-plus miles of real-world driving range (plus available 190 kW charging capability) the Cadillac LYRIQ ticks all the boxes – but you don’t have to take just my word for that.
A global shortage of qualified operators is impacting job sites everywhere, precisely at a time when demand for housing, mineral mining, and renewable energy construction is going from peak to peak. That’s why companies from Caterpillar to Tesla to Einride are pushing to advance autonomy the way they are.
First revealed as a concept in 2021, Volvo CE’s CX01 autonomous “single drum” asphalt roller concept has seen continuous development in the years since. Making its Volvo Days debut, the CX01 has shed the original single drum design for a “split drum,” with each half being controlled by an internalized, independent electric motor.
The CX01’s electric motors not only help to propel and steer the roller, they also vibrate the drums individually, using some trick software calibration to effectively “cancel each other out,” delivering all the benefits of vibrating drum rollers without the noise.
It’s so smart, you guys
It’s also worth noting that the CX01 is something of an “extended range” EV, instead of a “pure” BEV. That’s because it uses a small, 1.4L diesel engine to spin a generator that powers not batteries, but capacitors (those blue things, above right). Those capacitors can be charged on grid power (or from an accompanying TC13 trench compactor), but they’re much better than batteries at releasing energy really quickly, enabling the diesel to operate at its maximum efficiency while maintaining extremely precise, high-torque movement from the motors.
Volvo CE engineers envision a team CX01 rollers units deployed on larger job sites that could work together and communicate with other pieces of equipment on the site. The connected equipment could help survey the job site, report on the conditions of the mat (density, temperature, and passes), and leverage AI to determine when and where to compact without the need for human operators.
All of which is great, sure – but they had me at “giant OneWheel.”
Volvo TA15 autonomous electric haul truck
Volvo TA15 autonomous haul truck; photo by the author.
Part of Volvo CE’ “TARA” line of autonomous products, the “production ready” TA15 autonomous electric haul trucks are already part of a number of pilot programs on Volvo customer job sites. Being autonomous, they’re ideally suited to performing repetitive routes, dozens of times per day, without exposing human operators to fatigue or injury.
“TARA enables you to downsize and replace larger diesel-powered vehicles with a fleet of autonomous electric Volvo TA15s capable of running 24/7,” reads the official TARA release. “This not only helps you cut emissions and increase productivity, it will also help you rightsize your machinery and optimize your hauling routes.”
And that brings us to the real topic at hand: sustainability.
Electrek’s Take
Volvo SD110 single drum roller, via Volvo CE.
As we’ve often discussed on The Heavy Equipment Podcast, there are two types of sustainability, and both are important. The first is the “classic” version of sustainability, in that our choices need to sustain the planet and environment we live in. The second is sustainability of the business – the ability to keep doing business in a way that ensures the survival of the business, itself.
Looking at the conventional Volvo SD110 conventional roller, above, you can see the incredible amount of materials – of steel, rubber, plastic, glass, etc. – that simply isn’t needed to produce the CX01 roller we started this article with.
All that added mass has a massive hidden carbon cost. The cost of getting those materials out of the ground, the need for bigger, heavier roads to support the weight of the machine, and the bigger, burlier trucks and trailers needed to transport it. Heck, even the operator’s commute to and from the job site adds to the carbon cost of the SD110, over and above the harmful emissions from its diesel engine’s exhaust stack.
The CX01? It’s objectively more sustainable than the SD110 roller in every way, and does pretty much the same job.
Following successful inbound implementations in the Pacific Northwest, North Carolina, and Mexico, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is expanding the reach of its electric semi fleet into Arizona with long-time associate JB Hunt.
JB Hunt will add the new Freightliner eCascadia electric semi to its Arizona fleet immediately, and put it to work delivering aftermarket truck parts from DTNA’s parts distribution center (PDC) in Phoenix to multiple DTNA dealers along a dedicated route.
The electric Freightliner truck is expected to cover approximately 100 miles in a given day before heading “home” to a Detroit eFill charger installed at Daimler’s Phoenix facility.
“This solution with DTNA is a great example of our commitment to supporting customers’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards energy transition,” explains Greer Woodruff, executive vice president of safety, sustainability and maintenance at JB Hunt. “JB Hunt owns and operates several eCascadias on behalf of customers, and our drivers have really enjoyed their in-cab experience. As customer interest continues to grow, we are here to enable their pursuit for a more sustainable supply chain in the most economic means possible.”
Daimler is analyzing future expansion opportunities throughout its internal parts distribution and logistics with an eye on electrifing additional routes and further reducing the carbon footprint of its logistics operations.