Albert Biermann talks about the battery and range of the long-awaited Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: The horsepower competition has only just begun
Top Gear recently had the opportunity to chase a Hyundai Ioniq 5 (buy Hyundai Ioniq 5 used cars now) N across a frozen Swedish lake. Then there was a chat with Albert Biermann, the Koreans’ former head of development. Of course, people talked about the first N model without a combustion engine, but the topic of electric performance cars in general was also touched upon.
The former BMW M boss and now Executive Technical Advisor at Hyundai was asked, among other things, why you should rather buy the Ioniq 5 N than the normal model. Biermann said the range limitation “won’t be that big”. He also noted that the electric sports crossover will have more battery capacity without having to increase the 77.4 kWh battery pack.
One will use “next generation battery technology”. This will allow the sharp N variant to be just “a bit behind” the standard four-wheel drive Ioniq 5 in terms of range. As a reminder, the Ioniq with all-wheel drive and a 77 kWh battery has a WLTP range of 481 kilometers, the Ioniq with rear-wheel drive manages 507 kilometers.
Biermann also told Top Gear that the horsepower competition between e-cars is just beginning and will “go completely crazy” in the future. The Ioniq 5 N should get around 600 hp and thus a bit more than the 585 hp Kia EV6 GT. In the long term there should also be a smaller zero-emissions model with an N badge.
We won’t have to wait too long until the arrival of the Ioniq 5 N. The premiere at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July has already been confirmed. The car comes with a thicker, padded steering wheel, specific N seats and various gimmicks that are intended to make the performance e-car look a little more like a performance combustion engine.
The Top Gear video also mentions around 600 foot-pounds of torque. That equates to 816Nm, which would be a solid plus over the Kia EV6 GT’s 740Nm.
Hyundai has not yet commented on the prices of the Ioniq 5 N. The dual-motor Ioniq 5 currently starts at a good 59,000 euros. You’ll have to step it up a notch there. It only seems logical that it will also be more expensive than the EV6 GT, which currently costs at least 72,990 euros.
Source: TopGear via YouTube
