Hyundai has added a sedan to its lineup of fully electric cars. The Korean automaker debuted its Ioniq 6 at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a range that’s lower than expected, but still formidable among top-tier EVs.
The Ioniq 6 is Hyundai’s first fully electric sedan, which comes right after the electric Ioniq 5 SUV that recently hit the U.S. market. Both the Ioniq models are Hyundai’s initial steps towards electrifying its vehicle lineup, and the Ioniq 6 has caught a lot of attention for its unique design. The look is somewhere between the classic Volkswagen Beetle and future-forward EVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
Reduced range — The Ioniq 6 was originally estimated to have a 380-mile range, but that number has since been scaled back to an estimated 340 miles on a single charge. It’s a little less, but that’s still a great range that puts the Ioniq 6 firmly in competition with more luxurious EVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan or Tesla’s Model S Plaid edition.
The solid range estimates come from the 77.4 kWh battery and a drag coefficient of 0.22. Hyundai is offering the Ioniq 6 in two options: a rear-motor layout or one with both front and rear motors. The dual-motor option will be set up as all-wheel drive and offer 320 horsepower, 446 lb-ft of torque, a 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, and a range of 310 miles. The single rear-motor option will get you 225 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, but has the maximum range possible at 340 miles.
Five minute fast charge — Hyundai says you only need 18 minutes with a 350 kW fast charger to get from 10 to 80 percent with the Ioniq 6, or just five minutes to get 65 miles of range if you’re really in a pinch. If you’re using the standard onboard charger, you’ll get a full charge in a little more than seven hours. Hyundai built the Ioniq 6 on its Electric-Global Modular Platform that’s used on its Ioniq 5, but also the Kia EV6 crossover SUV.
Hyundai also wanted the Ioniq 6’s interiors to stand out, incorporating a dual-color ambient lighting system with 64 colors and six dual-color choices, and 12.3-inch displays for the infotainment display and digital cluster.
Spring 2023 release — Even though Hyundai revealed all of the Ioniq 6’s specs, we still don’t have any pricing details on the electric sedan. Hyundai said it will announce the price closer to when the Ioniq 6 is expected to go on sale, which will be in spring 2023.
The Ioniq 6 may be Hyundai’s first fully-electric sedan, but the company has plenty of models in its EV pipeline. Including the Ioniq 6, Hyundai wants to introduce 17 battery-powered electric vehicle models and sell more than 1.8 million of those models by 2030.
