Hyundai has revealed its new Inster electric crossover, a compact electric car with a 350km range and a potentially tempting price point.
Irish details and specifications have not yet been announced but if and when the Inster reaches these shores, it should have a price of less than €25,000.
This isn’t quite a brand-new car, is it?
No, the Inster is based on Hyundai’s existing petrol-powered Casper small crossover, but it has been stretched by 230mm to make room for the battery packs.
A basic Inster will come with a 42kWh battery and a 97hp electric motor, allowing for a maximum range of just over 300km, while there’s also a 49kWh battery option with a range of more than 350km. Both battery versions can also be matched with a more powerful 115hp motor.
Those batteries can be charged at a rate of up to 120kW from a DC fast charger, or up to 11kW on AC power. Hyundai says a 10-80 per cent charge takes around 30 minutes on a fast charger.
Both versions of the Inster also get vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging allowing them to provide as much as 220v power to other devices.
Will it be a stripped-out cheap model?
It would seem not. Hyundai says that the Inster has been designed as a ‘compact, urban EV’ and has added some useful driver aids for that role, such as a surround-view camera system, front and rear anti-collision braking, and a blind spot monitor.
Other safety tech includes a rear seat occupant warning, a system that prevents you from opening the door into the face of an oncoming cyclist, lane-keeping assistance and more, although how much of that will come as standard remains to be seen.
There are also two 10.25-inch digital displays, 64-colour ambient cabin lighting, and a mobile phone-based digital key.
While the styling is clearly based on that of the Casper (a car not yet sold in Europe) the Inster gets some of its own character thanks to big LED lights and some of the ‘Pixel Light’ tech lifted from Hyundai’s Ioniq electric car range. While 17-inch alloys will be available as an option, sensibly for an urban car the Inster will come as standard with 15-inch steel rims. 15-inch alloys will also be available, as will a contrasting black roof and projector LED lights.
How practical is the Inster?
The boot is a relatively small 280-litres in capacity, but the rear seats (as well as split-folding 50:50) can also slide forward which opens up 350 litres of room. With the back seats folded, there’s just over 1,000 litres of load space.
As is the current trend, the Inster majors on recycled materials including black high-gloss recycled paint, which replaces the carbon black pigment traditionally used in black paint with a colouring made from recycled waste tyres. Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from bottles and bio-polypropylene material extracted from sugarcane are used inside. Exterior colour options include Atlas White, Tomboy Khaki, Bijarim Khaki Matte and Unbleached Ivory, as well as several new hues, such as Sienna Orange Metallic, Aero Silver Matte, Dusk Blue Matte, Buttercream Yellow Pearl, and Abyss Black Pearl.
"With Inster, we've taken the small SUV image to a bold new place for the global audience," said Simon Loasby, Senior Vice President and Head of the Hyundai Design Center. "Inster punches well above its weight with distinctive design and an interior that maximises its potential in exciting, customer-centric ways. With Inster we're redefining what it means to drive a sub-compact EV."
The Inster will go on sale in Korea first, this summer, and will come to Europe later this year. There will also be a more rugged-looking Inster Cross version with more in the way of 4x4-ish styling. We’ll update you on Irish details for the Inster as soon as we have them.