By Gary S. Vasilash

Although Tesla seems to be in the sort of fix that one might expect a traditional OEM to have rather than it, maybe that is because Tesla is turning into something of a traditional OEM, yet it isn’t quite capable of making the transition, which exacerbates the problem.

Now to be fair, the EV market in the U.S. is still pretty much in two categories:

• Tesla
• Everybody Else

So when you look at the increase in sales of Everybody Else’s EVs you have to recognize that in terms of overall numbers, there are certainly models that have internal combustion engines in their lineup that may have percentage decreases yet, in terms of the overall number delivered, well above the EV.

However, one of the issues that Tesla faces and doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in addressing is that the technological heat seekers, those who are constantly on the lookout for What’s Next, have likely purchased a Tesla or two. Now this is not to say that they’re suddenly going to go buy an EV from someone else but, rather, to say that there is a set of those people and they’ve pretty much been saturated.

The upside in the EV market will be people who are interested in something advanced but not completely challenging.

Let’s face it: Although driving an EV is pretty much like driving any a vehicle with a combustion engine, there are differences that require some adjustment on behalf of the driver. So at this stage in the proliferation of the technology it is probably a good thing for OEMs to provide prospective EV owners with vehicles that progressive without being perplexing.

Which brings me at last to the Hyundai IONIQ 5, an EV crossover that could draw plenty of customers into Hyundai stores and if they drive off the lot with one they’re not going to have to study how to use it.

For example: Want to adjust the HVAC? Yes, there is a 12.3-inch touchscreen. . .but more familiar, on a conductive surface, are red and blue arrows: touch them to get the job done. No searching required through the screen.

Yes, there are buttons and switches. A minimal but familiar assortment of things that can be adjusted.

The design of the IONIQ 5 is superb. There is the now seeming obligatory minimalism, but, more to the point, there is the addition of artistry in the patterns on some of the surfaces that are subtle and provide an overall sense of freshness. This is in contrast to the near-Brutalist approach that is taken inside a Tesla.

The exterior of the IONIQ 5—from the LED lighting up front to the LEDs around back—provides an appearance that is purposeful yet futuristic. I am puzzled by the apparent appeal of the bland front fascia of the Tesla Model Y: the front end of the IONIQ 5 appears as though it was created by a team of innovative engineers and artisans; the Model Y front appears as though the objective was to make a shape that could be readily released from the injection molding tooling.

And the creases in the body side of the IONIQ 5 speak to a knowledge of forming metal in an aesthetic manner, something that, arguably, is lacking in something like the—admittedly not a competitor—Cybertruck which, again, seems to have been designed so that it could be formed with a press brake rather than a servo press.

The IONIQ 5 comes in RWD and AWD versions, with different motor and battery sizes.

The vehicle driven here is an AWD model; its permanent magnet synchronous motors (one in the front, one in the rear) produce a combined 320 hp. It has a SK Innovation 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery that provides the vehicle with a range of 260 miles. The on-board charger is capable to being charged at a station with up to 800 v/350 kW; that means the battery charge can go from 10% to 80% in as little as 18 minutes.

People are catching on to the IONIQ 5. In March sales were up 58%. There were 3,361 delivered. The sales of the Hyundai Palisade—a bigger vehicle with an internal combustion engine—were also up 58% in March. There were 9,785 delivered.

The point being, there is a ways to go before there is greater consumption of EVs.

The IONIQ 5 is a vehicle that will help get more people there.