2022.02.22 Hyundai Motor Company
EV Park: Washing and Charging at The Same Time
As an electric vehicle owner, sometimes you don’t know what to do while charging your car. Well, how about a car wash? Here is a special service for the owners of Hyundai and GENESIS EVs.
Just as an office worker thinks of their lunch menu, as an EV owner you often think of this - what to do this time while charging. In places where ultra-fast charging is possible, such as Hyundai Motor Group’s ‘E-pit’, the charging time is short, so you can simply enjoy the time reading a book for a moment, but at charging stations that take a little longer, you need to make other plans such as making a shopping list.
But what if you could do a self car wash while charging the battery? Hyundai Motor Company created a special space called EV Park - Washholic Center Bundang/Yongin - for its EV customers, enabling car washing while charging; After rinsing the car with water, four 100kW class rapid chargers are available at the drying zone.
Self-car washing is one of the hobbies that owners enjoy with their cars. You can check the condition of your car yourself, and you can keep your new car clean for a long time. In particular, 56% of EV owners do self-wash, which is much more than 35% of owners using an automatic car wash. EVs don’t need to be refueled, so you don’t often use automatic car washes at gas stations. This is why Hyundai Motor Company built an EV park at the self-serve car wash.
EV Parks aren’t just for charging the battery. If you join S-Traffic, a charging service provider partnered with EV Park, you can receive a 10% discount on charging. In addition, special memberships are available for customers who own EVs of Hyundai and GENESIS. For example, if you visit the Washholic Center Bundang/Yongin and sign up for the ‘EV Park Membership’, the dry car wash is always free, and you can freely use machines such as vacuum cleaners and air guns. In addition, there are other benefits such as a welcome drink upon your first visit, an additional 10% savings with a car wash membership card, and a 5% discount on car wash products.
I visited the Washholic Center Bundang/Yongin Center to experience EV Park membership. And I started washing the car by spraying water on the IONIQ 5. This is to first wash off dust and other contaminants. When washing a car, it is good to spray water and detergent from the roof, because gravity causes the water to naturally flow down. You can easily remove foreign substances from your car by spraying water from the roof downwards, standing one step away from the car.
If there is sand or dirt on the vehicle, you will need to water it more thoroughly. This is because the remaining sand can scratch the surface of the body when wiping the car with a brush, mitt, towel, etc. Therefore, it is better to pay a little more attention when spraying water on parts that are frequently splashed with dirt - the lower part of the bumper, side skirts, front and rear fenders, etc.
After rinsing off the contaminants with water, spray the foam gun. Since the detergent of the foam gun dissolves foreign substances from the surface, it is better to wait until those substances disappear. After that, you can clean the car body with a brush or mitt, then spray again with high-pressure water to rinse off the detergent. Afterward, wipe off the water on the car body with a dry towel so that no water stains remain; then the first step is done.
Next is detailing. Hyundai and GENESIS EV owners can rent self-service car wash kits at EV Park. Detailing equipment is available free of charge and there are quite a few different types: water wax, interior cleaners, glass cleaners, leather protectors, plastic trim coatings, and tire dressings.
For example, there are four types of towels: drying, buffing, glass, and multi-purpose; Products used in vehicle maintenance are also divided into three levels - beginner, hybrid, and high-end. The products used for vehicle maintenance are made of eco-friendly materials, and if you do not know which equipment to choose, you can follow the guide using the tablet computer.
You can also start with the roof when wiping the car body with a towel. Rather than rubbing hard, you only need to wipe gently enough to wipe off the water. You can also use an air gun to blow off some of the moisture before using a towel. After wiping off all the water, just plug in the charger and start detailing.
Use soft towels for indoor cleaning. The dashboard, which is usually hard to reach, is large and easily gets dusty. You can simply wipe this part with an indoor cleaner. However, there are various electronic devices and buttons on the dashboard and center fascia, so apply just a little bit of cleaner to a towel and wipe it off.
After cleaning the cabin, another fun awaits. The V2L usage environment is housed in the self-cleaning kit. If you use a dual polisher here, you can make it shiny. You can also use a spray-type sterilizer called Flu Gun that kills harmful germs and bacteria in your vehicle for indoor health. EV owners of Hyundai Motor and GENESIS can borrow self-car wash kits on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and this pilot service is available until February 27.
In the future, Hyundai plans to conduct various campaigns at the EV Park - for example, how to wash an electric car, a detailing class that provides information such as car wash 101, and a vehicle management program such as gloss and water repellent coating using the V2L function. What’s more, the automaker is also planning an electric grill BBQ party using their EV’s V2L function.
After washing the car and leaving the EV park in the cleaner IONIQ 5, it felt like I could drive anywhere. The fully charged battery was also relieving. Most of all, I was excited to try new things to spend time while charging my EV. Hyundai Motor Company is always trying to increase the services that their customers would need. If there is an EV park on the way, why not stop by? After washing and charging your EV, you will definitely feel much lighter.
Photography by Jin-Ho Choi
