IONIQ

Chasing Stars: Powering the new year with the IONIQ 5

4 minute read

Happy New Year and welcome to 2022. It’s time to reflect and recharge ready for the year ahead and there’s no better way to do that than by taking a moment to look up at the stars above us. Join us, and photographer Nicholas Roemmelt, as we celebrate the arrival of the new year by chasing stars and constellations in an IONIQ 5.

Chasing Stars

There’s nothing like looking up at the stars. At this time of year, when it gets so dark so early in the Northern Hemisphere, we find ourselves looking to the stars to reflect and to ask life’s big questions. What we are, where do we come from and where are we going? The answers to life’s big questions lie in the stars. After all, we are all made of stardust. When you look at the big picture it helps us to appreciate the beauty of our planet, while also making our own troubles seem small. It’s also the perfect opportunity to reflect and make new and exciting plans for the new year.

Photographer Nicholas Roemmelt skiing across the top of a mountain towards a rocky outcrop.

Photographer Nicholas Roemmelt unloading his equipment from the trunk of a silver IONIQ 5 which is parked in the middle of a snowy and mountainous landscape.

Capturing Constellations with Nicholas Roemmelt

Nicholas Roemmelt is a German pro landscape and adventurescape photographer. He lives in the heart of the Alps together with his wife and their two dogs. During the week he is a dentist at a local practice but in his free time Nicholas gets out and into the Alps to “capture those very fleeting moments when you are most exposed to nature,” he says.

At no other time of the day are you more exposed to nature than in the dead of the night. NICHOLAS ROEMMELT

Nicholas’s photographic work focuses on starlit landscapes with the Milky Way or the dancing Aurora. “To emphasize the dimensions and to put the landscape in a scale you will often find a small 'human element' in my pictures,” he says. “This is my way of telling the story: to let you 'see' what we were seeing and let you 'feel' what we were feeling on location, so you can become part of the adventure.”

A mountain with a rocky outcrop covered in snow with a constellation of stars lit up behind it in the night sky.

Using the power of the IONIQ 5 I can capture new constellations by taking my equipment to remote places. NICHOLAS ROEMMELT

Finding the darkest spots to see the brightest skies

In the winter, the sky is at its most clear, perfect for viewing stars, bright planets, or even a shooting star. In the Northern Hemisphere you can see Orion, Taurus, Sirius, Cassiopeia, and the Andromeda Galaxy high on the horizon, and if you’re lucky you may even see the Northern Lights. But these days, urban light pollution can make it hard to stargaze. So, to see the clearest, brightest views, you need to travel further away.

Photographer Nicholas Roemmelt opening the trunk of the IONIQ 5 in the dark guided by the car’s parametric lighting on the taillights and back door.

An IONIQ 5 lighting the way through a snowy mountainous landscape at night.

The Power of the IONIQ 5

We helped Nicholas get out into a remote, dark place to take his photos by giving him an IONIQ 5. Not only does the IONIQ 5 have an impressive driving range of up to 430 km, but the V2L function in the car can also supply up to 3.6 kW of power. Using a converter, Nicholas could charge his spare battery and laptop which means he could take even more photos and stay for longer than normal as it’s nice and warm inside the car.

With this much power, you might think that it would take a long time to charge the IONIQ 5. But, with a 350-kW charger, IONIQ 5 can charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes. You only need to charge the vehicle for five minutes to get 100 km of range, perfect for chasing more stars and constellations.

Top tips for stargazing

1) Wrap up warm.
2) Download apps like the NASA app or Skyview to find constellations in the night sky.
3) Look for patterns that stand out for you – they don’t have to be official constellations.
4) Join a stargazing tour or event near you.
5) Don’t use a flashlight or your phone’s light, instead make sure you have a light with a red filter.

A silhouette of Nicholas Roemmelt looking through his camera at the night’s sky which is full of stars.

A snowy mountain with rocky outcrops with stars shining behind it.

Chasing stars in the IONIQ 5

And, if you want to follow Nicholas and go stargazing this winter, you could do it from the comfort of your own car. Simply drive to your chosen stargazing location, wrap up warm and watch the stars either from inside or outside your car. Inside the IONIQ 5, you can tilt the front seats all the way back and use binoculars to look for stars through the vision roof. You can also use a star map or download Heaven’s Above app that shows you what is overhead in real-time.

Feeling inspired to chase your own stars this year? Follow Hyundai Lifestyle(@hyundai.lifestyle ) to find out more about how our all-electric IONIQ 5 can power your life and your dreams for the new year. We wish you a very happy and bright 2022.