Shown above is the Ioniq 5 of Hyundai Motor. U.S. Law firm Lemberg Law is preparing for a class action for the electric vehicle. Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor

US law firm collecting complaints from motorists

U.S. law firm Lemberg Law is found to be preparing for a class action against South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor regarding the latter’s representative electric car Ioniq 5.

In its recent posting, Lemberg Law claimed that the 2022 Ioniq 5 does not have battery heating and preconditioning, which are necessary for fast chagrining of batteries.

In particular, the Connecticut-based law firm argued that vehicle owners living in the colder climate areas of the U.S. would be more vulnerable to the problems.

Unlike its specifications, Hyundai’s 2022 all-wheel-drive Ioniq 5 models do not have the proper software for a battery heating system in North America, according to Lemberg Law.

“The free software needed to operate the heating system has been released in parts of the world, including Korea, and some of Europe, and since mid-November 2022,” the company said on its website.

“But it is not currently available in the U.S. or Canada. The specifications also show that rear-wheel-drive (RWD) models don’t have any sort of battery heater. And so, this ‘update’ could not be used even if the software was released in North America,” it said.

When contacted, a Hyundai official refused to give comments.

Experts said that it would remain to be seen whether the class action would be able to win in court.

“Battery heating and preconditioning functions are not required for any new cars in the U.S. or any other countries. They are optional capabilities for premium models,” Daelim University automotive professor Kim Pil-soo said.

“We need to check whether Hyundai really specified that the 2022 Ioniq 5’s equipped with such functionalities. Experiences tell us that many class action attempts fell apart even before going to the court.”
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