It really wasn’t that long ago that non-Tesla electric cars had fewer than 100 miles of range on a full charge. Then it went up to 100 miles, then 150 miles, then 200 miles…and now we see that (headline above) the Hyundai IONIQ 6 is coming to town with a huge 361 miles range.
The average American drives about 40 miles a day. That’s enough range for a full week plus about two extra days left in the battery so as not to leave yourself at risk of any “range anxiety”. It’s more likely you’d charge every night or every other night, but I just found it a fun way to think about it.
Image courtesy of Hyundai.
The EPA-rated 361 miles is of course for the longest range version of the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6, IONIQ 6 SE Long Range RWD trim. And it’s thanks in part to the vehicle’s excellent aerodynamics that this trim gets a “fuel efficiency” rating of 140 MPGe. “The IONIQ 6’s 140 combined MPGe rating matches two Lucid Air models at the top of Fueleconomy.gov’s 2023 Top Ten Vehicles list,” notes Hyundai.
Image courtesy of Hyundai.
Six different trims received EPA ratings, with the lowest range still having 270 miles of range – plenty. There are four-wheel drive (AWD) versions that pack a little more power in the power department and are a bit heavier. Here’s the full table of range and MPGe ratings:
Table lent by Hyundai.
All in all, the IONIQ 6 is a very compelling new electric vehicle. And unless my eyes or brain are deceiving me, it has a slightly throwback look to the GM EV1 and Honda Insight EV from the 1990s – but of course much nicer. I’d assume it’s not a deliberate nod to those OG EVs from non-Hyundai automakers, but rather from the goal of making a hyper-efficient vehicle. The closer you get to perfection, the more you have to follow certain guidelines or laws of physics.
“IONIQ 6’s ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.22 is supported by a low nose, active air flaps, wheel gap reducers, elliptical wing-inspired spoiler with winglet, light boattail structure, separation traps on both sides of the rear bumper, full underbody fairing, deflectors and reduced space in the wheel arch,” writes Hyundai.
“Constantly improving the efficiency of our vehicles is always a top priority for our development teams,” said Olabisi Boyle, vice president of product planning and mobility strategy at Hyundai Motor North America. “Instead of simply adding a larger battery to increase range, we chose to optimize the IONIQ 6’s aerodynamic performance and its Electric-Global Modular Platform for efficiency to produce these long driving distances.” Congratulations to Hyundai. It’s a job well done, as proven by the EPA ratings.
The IONIQ 6 is certainly an attractive vehicle. I look forward to seeing one live in the wild!
Many more details about the IONIQ 6 can be found here. The only big detail we don’t yet have is pricing, but estimates are that it will start around the mid-$40,000s and go up to the mid-$50,000s as a starting price for the highest trim. With the EPA lineup out now, it certainly won’t be long before we have official pricing.
