Hyundai has created a car payment system that will debut in its upcoming electronic Ionic 5 crossover that will provide drivers with the skills to find and deliver EV charging, food and parking – the latest examples of automakers finding new ways to earn and provide customers with features that are typical of smartphones associated with. When the car arrives in North America in the fall of 2021, the payment system will be launched with Dominos, ParkWhiz and Chargehub, the company said on Monday.
The car-payment system was one of several new details released during Ionic 5’s North America debut. The delivery feature works through Hyundai’s branded connected car system Bluelink which gives users control over the activities and services of various vehicles. Bluelink, which requires a subscription, is offered in three separate packages that cover areas such as vehicle maintenance and alerting, remote climate control and unlocking and locking, as well as destination search.
Bluelink can be linked to a user’s Google Assistant feature on any smartphone to send data to their Hyundai car. The car payment system will eventually be expanded to include other companies that fall into the charging, food and coffee sections in the departure and parking sections. A spokesman for the company said Hyundai would continue to add new merchants on a regular basis through the Xevo Marketplace platform. The Ionic 5 is the company’s first dedicated battery-powered vehicle built on the new electric-global modular platform or e-GMP platform.
This platform is shared with Kia and the underlying foundation of the new EV6. If the ionic name seems familiar, it is because it already exists. In 2016, Hyundai introduced a hatchback called the Ionic in the Hyundai, plug-in hybrid and electronic versions. The Korean carmaker is using that vehicle as a jumping point for its new EV brand. All vehicles under the Ionic brand will have an e-GMP platform. The Ionic 5 is based on the Hyundai Concept 45, a one-of-a-kind body crossover that the company unveiled at the 2019 International Motor Show in Frankfurt.
The designers of the Concept 45 are leaning towards a few lines and features of Hyundai’s first concept 1974 Pony Coupe. The name “45” comes from the 45-degree angle of the front and rear of the car. Hyundai has not yet determined the price of Ionic 5.
