- The updated Hyundai Ioniq 6 is now Korea’s longest-range electric sedan.
- The car was certified by the Ministry of Environment to have a range of up to 568 km (353 miles), which could equate to around 350 miles on the U.S. EPA testing cycle.
- The new Ioniq 6 launches later this year and is expected to have a Tesla-style NACS plug in America.
It’s kind of a shame, if you ask me, that our automotive landscape is so dominated by crossovers and trucks—especially where electric vehicles are concerned. Ultimately, if you want long-range driving, you want a sedan.
The last Hyundai Ioniq 6 was always pretty strong in that regard. Here in the United States, the four-door electric “streamliner” currently gets up to 342 miles of EPA-estimated range, putting it among the longest-range EVs out there. But now a new Ioniq 6 is coming soon to maybe blow that car out of the water.
News reports out of South Korea and spotted by Electrek indicate the updated Ioniq 6 has been certified by the Ministry of Environment to be able to drive up to 568 km, or 353 miles, on a single charge. That makes it the country’s longest-range electric sedan, beating even the new Kia EV4. That car is rated up to 549 km (341 miles) in its home country.
Translated to the U.S. EPA cycle, and the Ioniq 6—at least in some, presumably rear-wheel-drive trims—should achieve 350 miles of range or more. Perhaps it will even be able to match the updated Tesla Model 3’s 363 miles of range.
The new Ioniq 6 is able to pull this off thanks to something we had all been expecting when the new car was unveiled: bigger batteries. The sedan’s batteries will now be in line with other updated models of the Kia and Hyundai family, and the proof will be in the pudding.
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Source: Hyundai
“The long-range battery, which was 77.4 kWh, has increased to 84 kWh, and the basic standard model has also increased from 53 kWh to 63 kWh,” Korea’s Yucca Post reported. “This is not simply a result of increasing the capacity, but also an achievement made by efficiently adjusting the overall design of the vehicle.”
The Ioniq 6’s final specs have not yet been announced. Yet according to that outlet’s report on the Ministry of Environment filing for the car, it’s also lighter to the tune of 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and gets range boosts across all trim levels. It should also be more capable of over-the-air software updates than it has been until now.
Hopefully, the final specs for the Ioniq 6 will gin up more interest around what’s otherwise a very impressive EV. The Yucca Post notes that in Korea, sales of the sedan are up 24% year-over-year, but they’ve been much slower in the U.S. market. But for anyone who enjoys a good road trip and doesn’t want to stop to charge, the Ioniq 6 should be the way to go.
Final pricing and U.S. specs will be announced later this year.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com