Hyundai, the South Korean automotive manufacturer, has developed an in-car payment system which will make its debut in the upcoming all-electric Ioniq 5 crossover and will offer drivers the ability to find and pay for EV charging, food and parking.
This innovation is the latest example of automakers finding new ways to generate revenue and offer customers features that are typically associated with smartphones.
The company announced that the vehicles will be first available in North America in a few months and the in-car payments system was just one of several new details released regarding the Ioniq 5’s debut in the region.
The payments feature works through Bluelink, Hyundai’s branded connected car system that gives users control over various vehicle functions and services. Bluelink, which requires a subscription, is offered in three different packages that cover areas such as vehicle maintenance and alerts, remote climate control and unlocking and locking as well as destination search. Bluelink also can be linked to a user’s Google Assistant feature on their smartphone to send information to their Hyundai vehicle.
The in-car payments system will eventually expand to include other companies that fall into the charging, food and coffee on-the-go and parking categories. A company spokesperson said Hyundai will continue to add new merchants regularly.
Ioniq 5
The Ioniq 5 is the company’s first dedicated battery-electric vehicle built on the new Electric-Global Modular Platform, or E-GMP platform. This platform is shared with Kia and is the underlying foundation of the new EV6. In 2016, Hyundai introduced the Ioniq, a hatchback that came in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions. The Korean automaker is using that vehicle as the jumping off point for its new EV brand.
All of the vehicles under the Ioniq brand will have the E-GMP platform. The Ioniq 5, whose pricing is yet to be released, is based on Hyundai’s Concept 45 unveiled in 2019. The “45” name comes, in part, from the 45-degree angles at the front and rear of the vehicle.
