Electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N with 478kW debuts

Hyundai’s racy first electric car has made its first public appearance.

The high performance Ioniq 5 N is an electric hatchback capable of outputting 478kW and 768Nm. Wearing Hyundai N’s eye-catching blue and black paint scheme, the Ioniq 5 N has a wing-type rear spoiler, stands 20mm lower off the ground overall on 21-inch Pirelli P-Zero shod alloy wheels than the standard car, and is 50mm wider and 80mm longer due to the more prominent diffuser.

Inside the cabin the N family DNA is conveyed through bolstered seats with branding on the chairs, door scuff panels, metal pedals and on a newly designed steering wheel with N buttons and paddle shifters. Knee pads, shin support and a sliding armrest are added for everyday use comfort.

It boasts C-type USB, wireless charging, cupholders and a 10-speaker audio system with soundscapes that mimic the ignition sounds of Hyundai N’s 2.0l engines . In ‘Evolution’ mode the speakers provide a high-performance note inspired by the RN22e model while engaging ‘Supersonic’ emits the pitch of twin-engined fighter jets.

Hyundai says it has optimised the placement of the driving pedals for better control of power slides by reducing the risk of foot slippage in two-foot driving. Sustainable materials are used throughout Ioniq 5 N, including recyclable paperette door decorative garnish and recycled poly Alcantara seat cover cloth.

Powering the new electric performer is the same motor from the standard car, but it gets a larger, 84kWh battery and a bespoke all-wheel-drive power train. It can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 3.4 sec and before driving the driver can use N Battery Pre-conditioning to optimise the battery between ‘Drag’ mode for a short burst of full power or ‘Track’ mode for the lowest possible battery temperature for more laps.

A specially tuned N rack-mounted motor-driven power steering system for sharper steering responses, and the new N Pedal system are said to achieve the responsive handling characteristics similar to Hyundai’s i20 N WRC race car. This software function enhances throttle sensitivity, regenerative braking system and uses decelerative force to create aggressive weight transfer for sharper cornering.

An e-LSD is equipped while it also features a torque kick drift function that simulates the clutch kick action of rear-wheel-driven ICE vehicles, and ‘N’ drift optimizer to maintain the resulting wide drift angles. The Ioniq 5 N is equipped with N Road Sense, which automatically alerts a driver and recommends the activation of the sportier N Mode setting when double-curved road signs are detected.

Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology allows use of the stored energy from the EV’s battery to recharge devices, such as an e-bike, electrical camping equipment or domestic appliances — even when the vehicle is turned off.