Hyundai’s 2023 Ioniq 6 impresses with battery range

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Hyundai took the wraps off its seductive Ioniq 6 at the L.A. Auto Show mid-November. It’s an integral part of the company’s plan to introduce 17 new battery-electric models by 2030 — an ambitious plan, but one that lines up with many other manufacturers’ as the world moves squarely into the electric era. The Ioniq 6’s body is super-sleek, with an ultra-low 0.22 coefficient of drag that really helps to better driving range. This, the long 2,950-mm wheelbase, and the wide stance give it serious road presence.

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Inside, it’s a case of opposites attracting. A pair of 12.3-inch screens sit beside recycled materials. The latter are found in everything from the PET used in the seat fabric and headliner; to, a Hyundai first, the recycled fishing nets used to make the carpeting.

It’s also the first Hyundai to use over-the-air (OTA) updates ahead of the group-wide adoption by 2025. This move not only allows the customer to keep the car current without visiting a dealer, it paves the way for plug-and-play-based options like heated seats.

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The Ioniq 6 starts with the rear-drive single-motor model with 225 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. For many, this will be ample performance. However, if you want more, move up to the all-wheel-drive two-motor model. It ups the ante considerably. The front motor twists 99 hp; the rear adds another 221 hp. This gives it a net output of 320 hp, 446 lb-ft of torque, and a sub-five second run to 100 km/h. For a mid-priced EV, these are solid numbers.

The Ioniq 6’s real story is with the driving range. The 77.4-kilowatt/hour battery delivers a driving range of up to 499 km when working with the top two-motor model. This is a good number in its own right; however, the bigger news is the single-motor Ioniq 6 bumps the range to 547 km.

The other big plus, thanks to the adoption of an 800-volt architecture, is when hooked up to the right DC fast-charger, the Ioniq 6 has best-in-class charging time — 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes. When at home, the 10.9-kW on-board charger allows the battery to be topped up in just 7 hours and 10 minutes using Level 2 charging. Again, a good number.

The Hyundai IONIQ 6 will go on sale spring 2023 with the pricing being announced closer to the on-sale date.