Pure-electric Hyundai IONIQ to get 400km range
Budget future Tesla Model 3-rival could beat its US competition on range when updated long-distance version arrives in 2020Hyundai has revealed its all-new IONIQ is set to come with a far greater pure-electric range than originally thought.
Speaking to car-blog Motor1.com, the Korean car-maker’s eco-vehicles director, Byung K Ahn, announced that when the IONIQ EV launches in 2018 the firm’s first global pure-electric car will have a range of at least 320km.
This, says Ahn, means it will match the Chevrolet Bolt's claimed range but, less than two years after its launch in 2020, the hatch will be upgraded to offer 400km between charges.
Originally, it was claimed by Hyundai the pure-electric version would feature a single 88kW electric motor fed by a 28kWh battery and offer a cruising range of around 169km, plus a top speed of 150km/h.
Now, however, if Ahn’s claims are true, it seems the Korean car-maker might have given it a technical overhaul ahead of its launch, providing the IONIQ EV with more powerful, higher-density batteries.
The IONIQ range is set to be launched later this year in Europe but will arrive here in Australia early 2017.
Currently, it’s unlikely we’ll see the pure-electric version as Hyundai Australia is focusing on bringing in the plug-in hybrid.
Set to get powerful lithium-ion battery cells, instead of the Toyota Prius’ nickel-metal hydride batteries, the petrol-electric IONIQ will have a 50km all-electric cruising range and travel more than 700km using both petrol and electric motors.
The plug-in hybrid is also likely to be quicker than Toyota’s Prius thanks to its 104kW/265Nm electric motor-assisted 1.6-litre petrol engine.
More will be revealed closer to its European launch towards the end of 2016.
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