Hyundai reveals Ioniq 6 pricing, starting at $41,600

The most range doesn't cost that much more: The 361-mile version is $45,500.

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[Frodo Douchebaggins]

The Tesla frunk is not that big, but it's helpful. The one in my Model 3 nicely takes a carry-on sized bag but not much more. On our road trips we've kept the toddler's diapers and change of clothes there so we can get to them easily on charging breaks.

Yeah when I had one I used it for the first aid kit, mobile charger, tire jizz kit and inflator, extra wiper fluid and other things I rarely need to use but always need to have. I do miss having a frunk.

 

[Jordan83]

An EV range of 240 miles is probably enough to evoke range anxiety in many non-EV drivers.

Not at all! That seems plenty for me. I've examined it a lot lately, having very recently been in the market for a new (used) vehicle...and my range anxiety inducing limit is 150 miles. That's enough for two round-trips to work and a little extra.

In the end, I ended up going with a hybrid because there were no used BEVs with that kind of range within my price point. But the day is coming when there will be. I'm fairly certain, barring an incident that leaves my car totaled, that I've purchased my last non-BEV personal car.

 

[cosmicjesus]

I don't understand completely why larger wheels reduce the range. You'd think it would be just the opposite.

Weight for one. Also, rotational force (i.e., takes more energy to get larger tires to spin). Potentially, you might get equal or more range on the highway at consistent speeds (larger wheels cover more ground per spin).

 

[Statistical]

Hyundai is squeezing ~4.5 mi/kWh from its cars. Everyone else seems to be at or below 4 mi/kWh. I can't find information about what engineering voodoo Hyundai is using that others aren't. Can anyone enlighten me?

Aerodynamics. It is clear Hyundai has chosen a highly areodynamic vehicle shape. Cruising energy per mile at highway speeds is 80%+ overcoming drag. If you design a vehicle with 30% better aero it can make a huge difference.

Now they may have slightly more efficient motors, they are using an 800V architecture which may mean marginally less wiring losses, they may also have a really good regen to recover as much energy as possible. There also could be some tweaks in getting the most charge and discharge efficiency from the battery design. However all these are already relatively efficient in any BEV. Maybe Hyundai is a bit better than average but there isn't much more efficiency to be squeezed out. Not enough to account for the significant improvement in energy per mile.

It largely comes down to aerodynamics. If you have a vehicle which looks like an F-150 it is going to require more energy per mile and if you have one which looks like an Ioniq 6 it is going to use less.

 

[m0nckywrench]

As interested as I am in fully electric vehicles, I just can't stomach the charging times and range. Living in a place where the weather affects range and being rural meaning 30-50 miles one way to get to amenities, I think a PHEV right now is the best option for me. Best of both worlds... Zero range anxiety, not needing a long stop for a "fill up" but having a good electric option for running into town for groceries.

Once charging times fall to gas tank fill-up time-frames, I think that's going to be a different story though.

Disclaimer: my opinion for my use case. Full electric is still a great option for short range driving/commutes IMHO.

There being zero personal need (wants are not needs) to buy a BEV you have decades to wait for one suiting your use case. The general need to gradually change the transport fleet is not an individual need to change vehicle types.

PHEV work fine so get one. It's a car not a crusade. If like, keep. If not, sell. They're mere disposable consumer goods and all meet the shredder sooner or later.

 

[Statistical]

I don't understand completely why larger wheels reduce the range. You'd think it would be just the opposite.

Aerodynamics is a major factor. Wheels create a chaotic swirling vortex of air which increases drag. Larger wheels are worse than smaller wheels in the amount of drag they create. Larger wheels also increase unsprung mass. It takes more power to get them turning, they have more inertia and more energy is bled out to rolling resistance.

From an efficiency standpoint the most efficient vehicle would be the ones with the smallest wheels, completely covered wheel wells, and three wheels if you can get away with it.

 

[orangpelupa]

Being manufactured outside of north america without a blessed battery supply chain, I'm going with a fedrel tax credit of $0. Your state may have incentives however.

Someone on reddit say hyundai have weird offer to work around that. Iirc you leash it first and then buy it

 

[Fatesrider]

The Ioniq 6 uses Hyundai Motor Group's new E-GMP platform, purpose-designed for medium and larger BEVs. It uses an 800 V electrical architecture that, among other efficiencies, allows for very rapid DC charging, taking a battery from 10-80 percent state of charge in just 18 minutes.

That's... an impressively short time frame. The whole "it takes six times longer to fuel up an EV than an ICE" argument against buying one of these becomes less convincing when the number drops by 1/3 or more. It makes me hopeful that it can be reduced further so the time drain on recharging is within striking distance of the time frame on refueling an ICE.

The more convenient owning an EV is, the more of them will sell, even if they remain out of reach of most people. Bring the price down, too, and it looks even better for them.

 

[Deleted member 764661]

...taking a battery from 10-80 percent state of charge in just 18 minutes.

EV's are finally starting to become an option for people who can't charge at home. If your commute is short enough, spending 20 minutes at the charger once a week wouldn't be that much more of a hassle than spending 5 minutes at the gas station.

 

[Wim Tip]

Hyundai is squeezing ~4.5 mi/kWh from its cars. Everyone else seems to be at or below 4 mi/kWh. I can't find information about what engineering voodoo Hyundai is using that others aren't. Can anyone enlighten me?

Can't tell you about the voodoo, but my Ioniq 1 has similar streamlining and manages 5.2 mi/kWh when driving 62 mi per hour in spring. So it seems legit to me.

(For EU readers, it does 12kWh/100 km while driving 100km/h, during winter it does 14kWh/100km)

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

You understand that these "big wheels" use tires that handle better

Generally false.

In the old days of 15 inch wheels with 65-profile sidewalls and a narrow width, upgrading to 17s with a wider width would have a substantial impact on handling. These days, it's a fashion upgrade. It's almost always the same width, and almost always the same class of tire if not the exact same model (though you'll see summer tires fitted to the "Performance" trims of some cars, which is always fun when dumbasses find out the hard way why they're called summer tires)

Anyone who says they can tell the difference in handling for street use between a car with 18 inch wheels and 20 inch wheels with the same model tires fitted to them is delusional or lying, and I'd bet that only a professional racer or extremely skilled and very experienced amateur would be able to tell on a track.

 

[Readercathead]

Hopefully Hyundai/Kia have made software that works. My 2018 Ceed has given me some disconcerting experiences such as lane keep assist kicking in on a road with no road markings or telling me to put hands on the wheel when I am holding it...

Consumer Reports really love the new Hyundais and Kia EVs in general. The reviewers just glow when they talk about the driving experience.

They also did an extremely thorough driver assist etc review and comparison. I think they were more focused on the advanced features, but they do buy each car and let a variety of engineers and reviewers drive it on the track and borrow it for the weekend. The really good content is paywalled but i find it worth it.

They had some very smart ideas about how the car should keep drivers alert and engaged. Since no car is even close to driving itself right now! One of the engineers went on the Wheelbearings Podcast to talk about it.

Consumer Reports also has one of the few video podcasts available in a pod catcher. It’s free and features a rotating cast of experts.

 

[Statistical]

You understand that these "big wheels" use tires that handle better, and cost more to the consumer since the automaker doesn't want to increase weight and costs by having improved suspension components, right?

Totally not true. It is fashion. The tire companies love it. The tires are a lot more prone to damage and when you need to replace them they cost a lot more.

 

[afidel]

That range option is a pretty good deal! Over a 50% range increase for only an additional ~9%/$3900 cost, that's how it should be. Seems like this will be a great option for a daily driver/commuter, especially for anyone without kids.

Yeah, it works out to $160/kWh which probably isn't that much over their pack level cost (pricing is getting to about $80/kWh at the cell level but even Tesla who has been doing this a while has a lot of cost to build the pack)

 

[Oldmanalex]

Pretty soon the smaller “range increasing” wheels are going to be an additional cost option. Just you wait!

Can't tire manufacturers simply come up with "brushed nickel" wall tires? Then we can get the extra mileage, and pothole resistance, and still look as though we have the IQ of a fire hydrant.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

Totally not true. It is fashion. The tire companies love it. The tires are a lot more prone to damage and when you need to replace them they cost a lot more.

and for bonus points, you're more likely to bend or break the wheel itself.

 

[pr0t0]

From what admittedly little research I've done, it seems that the ultimate goal for the US charging network will be 800v. It seems that will be the equivalent of the ICE standardization on the size of gas pump nozzles. At that point, what value will a 400v BEV really have? The Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform is the way.

For me, any BEV that is not an 800v system is a non-starter.

 

[Oldmanalex]

Aerodynamics. The Ioniq 6 has one of the lowest production vehicle drag coefficients out there so it spends less energy pushing through the sea of air we live in and more energy making the car go forward

And presumably generally lower mass including batteries. Almost as though they reverse engineered the Hummer BEV learnings and found a virtuous circle.

 

[Got Nate?]

For OEMs the outer diameter is usually roughly the same because for efficiency the wheel well isn't any larger than it needs to be. Yes this usually means big wheels just mean small tires. So not only is it less efficient it means you get to buy more damage prone and expensive tires too.

Speedometers are calibrated to outside diameter of the tire. There is a calibration menu somewhere although it varies by vehicle and isn't always available to consumers. If you change wheels so the outside diameter (tire+wheel) changes you should recalibrate the spedometer. If you change the wheels so the outside tire diameter remains the same (i.e. the trend of giant wheels with a rubber band sized tire stretched over them) you don't need to recalibrate.

If you're changing the overall wheel+tire size, doesn't that impact the suspension geometry? I would assume that there are all kinds of side effects come from that if it's not accounted for at the factory.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

From what admittedly little research I've done, it seems that the ultimate goal for the US charging network will be 800v. It seems that will be the equivalent of the ICE standardization on the size of gas pump nozzles. At that point, what value will a 400v BEV really have? The Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform is the way.

For me, any BEV that is not an 800v system is a non-starter.

I just bought a 400v BEV because it was the only one with a decent interior and adjustable thigh support for under $70k, and I rarely drive far enough away from home to need to charge at a DCFC. Would I like faster charging? Sure. Will I accept a car I'm not happy in for it? No.

 

[Oldmanalex]

I just thought I'd hop on and complain now about the lack of reviews of affordable sub-$10,000 EVs.

Next you will be complaining about the lack of reviews of sub £100 electric bicycles.

 

[jimlux]

And there will be a $10,000 "Market Adjustment Fee" at the dealer. So it's more like a $60k car.

 

[Statistical]

From what admittedly little research I've done, it seems that the ultimate goal for the US charging network will be 800v. It seems that will be the equivalent of the ICE standardization on the size of gas pump nozzles. At that point, what value will a 400v BEV really have? The Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform is the way.

For me, any BEV that is not an 800v system is a non-starter.

That is not true.

First "800V" is really just a simplification. The exact voltage varies between vehicles and changes with age. In fact the exact voltage varies in a specific car based on the current state of charge. It will be higher when the battery is "full" and lower when the battery is empty. An "800V" vehicle may be 820V at full state of charge and 780V at low state of charge.

There are no "800V" only chargers. All CCS chargers on the road will work with "400V" cars. In fact some older ones may not work with 800V cars. CCS 2 ("350 kW charger") supports any charging voltage from 200V to 1000V with sub volt level precision. The car continually tells the charger the current voltage it needs in realtime (i.e. I need 782.6V, now 782.7V, now 782.8V) because again the required voltage varies based on state of charge and the charger has no idea what the car needs.

Now for non-Tesla due to lower current limits on CCS it would be difficult to get a charging time (10% to 80%) under 25 minutes with a "400V" car. Still there are some pretty "slow" charging 800V vehicles and some fast (although not best in class) 400V vehicles too. Really it is a non-issue although "800V" (which may actually push closer to 900V) will become mainstream primarily due to reduced wiring cost/weight. Someday we may even have CCS 4 with a "1600V" max pack voltage.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

Next you will be complaining about the lack of reviews of sub £100 electric bicycles.

Can we talk about the real issue here, people?

The lack of affordable two-seat nonmilitary jet aircraft with supersonic capabilities and conformal fuel cells, especially in the sub-$100k price segment.

 

[kazo]

Looks like a perfectly cromulent BEV.

Understanding that aerodynamics are king in this day and age, but I can't help but pour one out for cargo space and squared off hatchbacks/wagons. That back end looks like you can't fit anything of any size in the car.

I was thinking the same until I saw the acceleration to 60 was a little over 7 seconds. For an ICE, that's ok but for an EV it's pokey.

I think I'll wait to see how the Tesla Model 3 Long Range refresh pans out. Apparently, Tesla has managed to lower the manufacturing cost which could translate into a price similar to the Ioniq's.

 

[Oldmanalex]

I too would like to complain that this car doesn't have enough range fit my needs as a trombone repairman who makes service calls in rural Idaho. Therefore it must be useless for everyone else as well.

Is that the part of Idaho where it is up mountain in both directions?

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

I think I'll wait to see how the Tesla Model 3 Long Range refresh pans out.

Three things you can be sure of:

It won't have CarPlay or Android auto.
It won't have improved ergonomics
Buying it will still put money into the pocket of a lying, narcissistic sociopath who is making the world a worse place.

 

[Dzov]

Yeah when I had one I used it for the first aid kit, mobile charger, tire jizz kit and inflator, extra wiper fluid and other things I rarely need to use but always need to have. I do miss having a frunk.

Instead of a jizz kit, or at least in addition to, I'd add a plug kit. I've plugged a few tires over the years and never had a problem with them.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

Instead of a jizz kit, or at least in addition to, I'd add a plug kit. I've plugged a few tires over the years and never had a problem with them.

Yup one of those too

 

[Statistical]

That's... an impressively short time frame. The whole "it takes six times longer to fuel up an EV than an ICE" argument against buying one of these becomes less convincing when the number drops by 1/3 or more. It makes me hopeful that it can be reduced further so the time drain on recharging is within striking distance of the time frame on refueling an ICE.

The more convenient owning an EV is, the more of them will sell, even if they remain out of reach of most people. Bring the price down, too, and it looks even better for them.

It will probably slowly decrease a bit more each year but we are well past the point of dimishing returns. Charging times (10% to 80%) below 15 minutes are tough. Of course as batteries get larger the same charging time means you get more miles of usable range per minute. A 300 mile vehicle charing 10% to 80% is adding 270 miles of range in say 18 = 12 miles per minute of charging. A 400 mile vehicle doing the same 18 minute charging = 15 miles per minute of charging. On a road trip depending on how many miles you need you may be able to just charge a short period of time on a car with a larger battery.

 

[Statistical]

If you're changing the overall wheel+tire size, doesn't that impact the suspension geometry? I would assume that there are all kinds of side effects come from that if it's not accounted for at the factory.

Yeah I wouldn't recommend it but people do it all the time. Coolness you know. I would guess a lot of them don't have the spedo recalibrated or even know they need to. It could be off by 5% or more. That also means the odometer would be off by the same amount too.

 

[watermeloncup]

I was thinking the same until I saw the acceleration to 60 was a little over 7 seconds. For an ICE, that's ok but for an EV it's pokey.

I think I'll wait to see how the Tesla Model 3 Long Range refresh pans out. Apparently, Tesla has managed to lower the manufacturing cost which could translate into a price similar to the Ioniq's.

Wikipedia lists 0-60 times. The base 53 kWh/RWD trim is listed at 8.8s, 77.4/RWD is 7.4s, and the 77.4/AWD 5.1s. The lowest tier is surprisingly bad for a BEV, second is also on the slower side, third is decent.

I''m not sure that would be enough to stop me from buying the car, but I would have expected it to be a bit better especially for the price. The base trim is nearly $15k more than the Bolt which has a ~6.5s 0-60 time.

 

[DarthSlack]

And there will be a $10,000 "Market Adjustment Fee" at the dealer. So it's more like a $60k car.

Not necessarily. I got the dealer I bought from to waive a $3K markup. You just have to be willing to walk away.

 

[humjaba]

Stop forcing range-killing big wheels on people who just want more features, you dumb fucks.

The SEL and Limited trims both come with 20-inch wheels that drop the range to 305 miles (491 km) for the rear-wheel drive versions (SEL, $47,700; Limited $52,600) and 270 miles (435 km) for all-wheel drive (SEL, $51,500; Limited, $56,100).

I understand that having AWD would cost more than 2-wheel drive, but especially with an EV, why can't AWD be on-demand? Forgive my ignorance as EV drivetrains are unknown waters to me, but I imagine that it would be easier to just sort of release/disengage two of the wheels (and actually be able to select FWD or RWD also) than it would be on an ICE with a transmission and fixed driveshaft that extends the length of the car.

Hyundai does this - the front axle of their E-GMP cars has an active disconnect. Rivian has one on the back axle of the R1T and R1S.
Other manufacturers, like Tesla, put an induction motor on one axle (instead of permanent magnet), which has next to no drag, and so the disconnect isn't worth it since you can just not power the front axle and get the same benefits.

 

[acscitech]

I'd love for Ars to cover the inevitable Market Adjustment Fee that will be attached to this price, upwards as high as 10k. I honestly have 0 clue why the fee is as large as it is, and why that fee even exists when the dealer does absolutely nothing besides receive and hold when online orders are concerned.

This honestly looks like a great vehicle, I read you might get away with lease to own to still collect on incentives. However that market fee immediately makes me wanna pound sand.

 

[kltye]

From what admittedly little research I've done, it seems that the ultimate goal for the US charging network will be 800v. It seems that will be the equivalent of the ICE standardization on the size of gas pump nozzles. At that point, what value will a 400v BEV really have? The Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform is the way.

For me, any BEV that is not an 800v system is a non-starter.

There's nothing inherent in 800v systems that make charging faster. Yes, there's less heat in the wiring, but that's about it. You're still charging the same number of cells, and they're all limited to the C-rate of each cell. e-GMP has decided that pushing cell temps up is acceptable, which is why they have such fast charging. I'm not sure if they have some magic voodoo in their battery chemistry, but I'm not sure I like the idea of cooking my li-ion cells to over 50 degrees C at peak charging rates.

 

[kltye]

Wikipedia lists 0-60 times. The base 53 kWh/RWD trim is listed at 8.8s, 77.4/RWD is 7.4s, and the 77.4/AWD 5.1s. The lowest tier is surprisingly bad for a BEV, second is also on the slower side, third is decent.

I''m not sure that would be enough to stop me from buying the car, but I would have expected it to be a bit better especially for the price. The base trim is nearly $15k more than the Bolt which has a ~6.5s 0-60 time.

The base model has a 149hp motor. I think that's perfectly fine for people wanting a regular car. I don't know if the less powerful motor contributes much to the lower price, but there are enough slow cars out there that most people probably won't care about 0-60 times.

 

[Got Nate?]

I'd love for Ars to cover the inevitable Market Adjustment Fee that will be attached to this price, upwards as high as 10k. I honestly have 0 clue why the fee is as large as it is, and why that fee even exists when the dealer does absolutely nothing besides receive and hold when online orders are concerned.

This honestly looks like a great vehicle, I read you might get away with lease to own to still collect on incentives. However that market fee immediately makes me wanna pound sand.

The sad reality is that it's supply and demand. These cars are in extreme short supply, and there are enough people who are willing to pad the dealer's bottom line that they can get away with charging these markups. As stated upthread, you just gotta negotiate and hold firm on not paying ridiculous fees. Walk away if you have to.