This is already the second time that the Korean manufacturer has changed the battery of its Ioniq 5. Launched with a 72.6 kWh battery, the model is now announced with 84 kWh capacity. However, this does not change much for this model.
But where will Hyundai stop? In less than 3 years, the battery capacity of the Ioniq 5 SUV has increased by more than 15%. The electric model benefits from technical developments in battery technology. With each increase in battery size, the price followed the same upward trend. The price of this new version is not yet confirmed in the press release of March 4, 2024. We must hope that Hyundai does not reduce the already average competitiveness of the model in Europe.
To stay in the race for electric cars, battery capacity is not the only element that is changing on the Ioniq 5. The brand is taking the opportunity to make some changes to the exterior and interior, as well as to add a new N-Line finish.
84 kWh: still more weight for a little more autonomy?
The marketing of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 began with a 72.6 kWh battery at the end of 2021. From 2022, the brand announced that the 2023 model year would be equipped with a 77.4 kWh battery, gaining approximately 25 km in the process. additional autonomy. Customers who had not yet received their order, due to extended lead times linked to shortages, necessarily had to pay the additional €2,500 to switch to the new battery, or approximately €100 per theoretical kilometer added. .
A little over a year later, Hyundai is further developing the NMC battery, this time reaching 84 kWh capacity instead of 77.4 kWh – still available on the Ioniq 6 sedan. In Korea, Hyundai indicates that the autonomy of the model in two-wheel drive has thus increased from 458 km to 485 km, according to the standards in force in this country. It is therefore possible to hope to obtain 20 to 30 km of additional autonomy in Europe, as during the previous extension. Although the size of the battery has increased, the charging time for 10 to 80% on fast terminals still remains exceptionally low, with 18 minutes announced, an unchanged time.
Even if this increase in the size of the battery is justified by the progress made in this area by the Korean group, the weight is still impacted. However, the increase in weight is never favorable to the consumption displayed by an electric car. On the previous change, the vehicle went from 1,985 kg empty to 2,010 kg in its two-wheel drive version. It is very likely that this intermediate version of the Ioniq 5 will be estimated at around 2,050 kg. In any case, it is a weight that is not compatible with parking on the streets of Paris.
Developments to relaunch the Ioniq 5 on different markets
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 takes advantage of this update to significantly change its exterior design, with a new front shield and changes to the rear spoiler. This makes the car grow by 2 cm, making a total of 4.65 m long now. It’s subtle enough to go unnoticed by the untrained eye.
The biggest development is certainly the most ridiculous too: the Ioniq 5 finally includes a windshield wiper for its rear window! It took the manufacturer almost 3 years to correct this absence. Design and aerodynamics had to take precedence over the driving experience in poor weather, and customers finally (belatedly) won their case.
Other changes have also been made to the steering wheel and safety elements of the model. We also note some technological developments, such as an extension of the functions concerned by OTA (over the air) updates.
Will these developments be enough to trigger more sales? Everything will depend on the price of the vehicle in 2024. If the brand takes the opportunity to increase its price again, it will be far too far from the competition to attract customers again. Adding a larger battery, for a few dozen more kilometers, would really not be worth it. It’s a shame, because the Huyndai Ioniq 5 is a model that was promised a certain success. For the moment, however, it remains very discreet in the registration statistics, everywhere you look:
- 30,915 Hyundai Ioniq 5 registered in Europe in 2023,
- 1,826 only for France,
- 33,918 sales in the United States in 2023.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 remains more expensive than a Model Y Grande Autonomie, and despite the 84 kWh battery, the Ioniq 5 does not at all match the American on the question of autonomy. Even the slightly smaller Peugeot e-3008 offers much better performance at this level. For Europe, competition has intensified, and the Ioniq 5 is no longer really popular with the public with a price starting at €51,400 in France (excluding discounts).
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