The Hyundai Ioniq 5 could soon swap its most powerful battery for that of the Kia EV6, thus gaining a few kilowatt-hours of capacity, and therefore a few kilometers of autonomy. This update of the electric crossover would be scheduled for early 2022.
Available to order since last spring, the Kia EV6 is technically very close to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, launched a few months earlier. The two electric crossovers notably share their E-GMP modular architecture. However, the Kia model benefits from a 77.4 kWh battery, while its badged Hyundai “cousin” has to be content with 72.6 kWh at the top of the range. But, according to reports from South Korea, the Ioniq 5 will soon be entitled to the same accumulator as the EV6, resulting in increased autonomy.
The Ioniq 5 beyond 500 km of autonomy?
Hyundai is said to have planned to increase the number of modules in the “big” battery of the Ioniq 5 from 30 to 32 to increase its total capacity. By equipping the Ioniq 5 and the EV6 with the same battery, the Asian group would also gain in cost and efficiency in its production processes. The Ioniq 5 could obtain about 10% more autonomy, enough to ensure 470 km to 530 km of driving depending on the configuration, against 430 to 481 km (WLTP combined cycle) currently with the 72.6 kWh battery. In addition, the Seoul manufacturer plans to update the software part of the Ioniq 5 to allow more vehicle functions to be updated remotely.
Officialization pending
The updated Hyundai Ioniq 5 is expected to be marketed in Korea and the rest of the world, for the start of 2022. For now, the French branch of the manufacturer refuses to confirm or deny this information. See you in a few months for more details on the evolutions of the Ioniq 5 range on our market.
Source : AND News
