How Long Does the 2023 IONIQ 5 Battery Last?
Meet MotorTrend’s SUV of the Year 2023 — the Hyundai IONIQ 5. You’ll immediately notice the sleek, modern exterior. Inside, you’ll find a tech-laden cabin with an innovative design and spacious quarters. The all-electric powertrain offers impressive power, making it one of the most fun cars to drive.
Hyundai has equipped the IONIQ 5 with a bevy of advanced driver-assist systems to inspire confidence no matter where your journey takes you. Most electric vehicle (EV) buyers cite the driving range as their number one concern. So, we asked our EV experts to detail the IONIQ 5’s battery life and the impact this has on your commute and discuss some finer features you’ll love.
2023 IONIQ 5 Battery Life
First, this question isn’t so much about time as it is about distance or what the industry refers to as the driving range. The answer to this question depends on the model you choose. Hyundai offers the IONIQ 5 in four trim levels and a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or an all-wheel-drive (AWD) configuration.
The base model SE Standard Range comes with a 125 kW permanent magnet synchronous electric motor that a 58 kWh lithium-ion battery pack powers. As a result, this powertrain produces 168 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. According to the EPA estimates, this configuration has a driving range of 249 miles on surface roads, 185 miles on the highway, and 220 miles combined.
You can opt for a dual-motor setup with AWD or a single-motor configuration with RWD on the other three IONIQ 5 trims. In either case, you have a larger 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that powers the electric motor or motors. The RWD variants use a 168 kW electric motor capable of 225 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. As a result, you have an EPA-estimated driving range of 344 miles around town, 254 miles on the highway, and 303 miles combined.
Opting for the dual-motor AWD IONIQ 5 adds a 74 kW electric motor to power the front wheels. This configuration boosts your power numbers to an impressive 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque. However, your driving range dips to an EPA-estimated 293 miles in the city, 233 miles on the highway, and 266 miles combined.
According to the EPA, certain circumstances can affect these estimates. For example, the added features on your IONIQ 5 can impact your driving range, as can the driving conditions, your driving habits, the outside temperature, and the battery’s condition.
Why Is the Driving Range Less on the Highway?
Drivers have become accustomed to getting better mileage on the highway with a gas powertrain. However, you get the opposite result with an EV. Several reasons contribute to this result. First, EVs, including the IONIQ 5, have a regenerative braking system. This system captures some of the kinetic energy that the braking process creates and returns that energy to the battery.
Driving on surface roads with lots of stop lights, stop signs, and stop-and-go traffic results in more braking. This means the regenerative braking system has more opportunities to return power to the battery, which adds range. On the other hand, driving on the highway doesn’t usually involve a lot of braking, so your EV gets fewer opportunities to return power to the battery through the regenerative braking process.
Also, your EV doesn’t have a transmission with multiple gears like the gas powertrain. Instead, EVs have a single gearbox, which works great for delivering instant torque but is terrible for efficiency. Instant torque allows for fast acceleration, but you use up more power with these quick bursts, thus depleting your battery faster and lowering your driving range.
Finally, higher wind resistance on the highway slows you down and affects your driving range. For example, driving at 75 mph creates much more wind resistance than driving under 55 mph, which is common on most surface roads.
What Is MPGe?
Everyone knows what MPG stands for — miles per gallon, which refers to how many miles you can drive per gallon of gas. The EPA created the MPG standard to measure a vehicle’s efficiency. However, an EV doesn’t use gas, so the EPA developed a formula called MPGe, or MPG equivalent. MPGe converts the electrical output that’s required to travel into the gas equivalent to measure efficiency.
According to the EPA, 33.7 kWh of electricity produces the same energy as one gallon of gasoline. So, if an EV uses 33.7 kWh to travel 100 miles, it has a rating of 100 MPGe. However, a high MPGe rating doesn’t necessarily mean you get a better range, only that the vehicle makes the most of its electric power.
2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 MPGe Ratings
Now that you understand MPGe, we can discuss the IONIQ 5 MPGe ratings. The SE Standard Range, with its smaller battery and single motor, gets an EPA-estimated MPGe rating of 127 in the city, 94 on the highway, and 110 combined.
The upper trim levels have a larger battery. In the single-motor RWD models, you get 132 MPGe around town, 98 MPGe on the highway, and 114 MPGe combined. The dual-motor AWD variants dip slightly to 113 MPGe on surface roads, 90 MPGe on the interstates, and 101 MPGe combined.
2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Recharging Capability
Charging times vary depending on the size of your battery and how you charge your EV. For example, the 58 kWh battery can recharge from 10%-100% in 5 hours and 55 minutes using a 240-volt Level 2 charger. The IONIQ 5 has a rapid charging capability that can recharge from 10%-80% in only 18 minutes on an 800-volt rapid charger.
The larger 77.4 kWh battery can recharge from 10%-100% in 7 hours and 10 minutes using a 240-volt Level 2 charger. In addition, the rapid charging capability allows you to restore your battery from 10%-80% in 18 minutes.
Test Drive the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Today
If you’re ready to elevate your greater-Boston commute with a powerful, tech-forward EV, we invite you to browse our virtual inventory online. Nucar Hyundai of Norwood has the most expansive inventory of IONIQ 5 EVs in the region, and our convenient Norwood location makes us the logical place to shop. If you prefer a personal demonstration, feel free to visit us on Providence Highway. One of our EV experts will answer all your questions and let you take an IONIQ 5 for a spin.
2021 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Project 45 by Rutger van der Maar is licensed with CC BY 2.0
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