Hyundai upgrades Ioniq 5 with bigger battery
Larger battery and new tech for Ioniq electric car.
Hyundai will soon update its Ioniq 5 with new equipment, upgraded technology, and a larger battery for its longer-range model.
The updates will be rolled out later this year, however, Australia is yet to confirm if the larger battery – likely to bring a longer range – will be offered here.
While the smaller 58kWh lithium-ion battery is set to continue, the 72.6kWh battery pack (the same that is currently offered locally) has been upsized to the same unit as in the Kia EV6, measuring 77.4kWh.
Hyundai is not saying what the “several range enhancements” are in the new 77.4kWh battery as it’s still pushing the car through the final stages of homologation, but it will likely move the maximum 450km claim to around 480km. Performance claims have not been given either, with the two models on sale producing 160kW for the single motor version and 225kW for the dual-motor.
But there is more to the change than just the battery size, with a new battery conditioning feature that adapts the temperature of the battery, optimising charging in hot and cold climates. The system automatically activates if the driver enters the location of a charging point on the car’s sat-nav.
The existing Ioniq 5’s 800-volt electrical architecture is unchanged, with the system capable of going to an 80 per cent charge in around 18 minutes with a compatible rapid charger.
New equipment added to the MY23 model include a Digital Centre Mirror (DCM), which shows a rear camera live-view to a monitor in place of the usual rear-view mirror, and new Digital Side Mirrors which work in the same way as the DCM, with a pair of cameras mounted on the car’s doors sending video feeds to monitors in the cabin.