Image: Hyundai
It’s no surprise that Hyundai’s electric vehicle range has been highly sought after in Australia, with the last release in January selling in under 15 minutes.
Hyundai has also been working on its upcoming sleek sedan called the Hyundai Ioniq 6, which has now received good results in the official range tests done by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Ioniq 6. Source: Hyundai
In the US, Hyundai’s own estimates of the Ioniq 6 range were conservatively released last year at 340 miles/547 km.
The base SE model in the RWD long-range configuration gets a Final EPA estimated range of 361 miles, which is just over 580 km. That’s 21 miles or 34 km above the range figures released by Hyundai last year.
Part of the above-average range that Ioniq 6 offers are due to its
aerodynamic design that boasts a very low coefficient of drag at around 0.22, which is lower even than the best selling Tesla Model 3, which stands at 0.23.
Image: Hyundai
The Ioniq 6 aerodynamic features include:
- Active air flaps
- Wir turbulence mitigation wheels design
- Sloping rear with a wing
- Coverings under the body to reduce drag
- Airflow separation reducers
- Low attack angle of the Ioniq 6 nose
A combination of these has resulted in impressive EPA-estimated results. 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Final EPA Estimate Range across the Ioniq 6 models are:
| IONIQ 6 Trim | Final EPA est range (miles) |
| IONIQ 6 SE RWD Long Range (18-inch wheels) | 361 |
| IONIQ 6 SE AWD Long Range (18-inch wheels) | 316 |
| IONIQ 6 SEL RWD (20-inch wheels) | 305 |
| IONIQ 6 SEL AWD (20-inch wheels) | 270 |
| IONIQ 6 Limited RWD (20-inch wheels) | 305 |
| IONIQ 6 Limited AWD (20-inch wheels) | 270 |
“Instead of just adding a larger battery to increase the range, we chose to optimize IONIQ 6’s aerodynamic performance and its Electric-Global Modular Platform for efficiency to produce these long driving ranges,” said Olabisi Boyle, vice president of product planning and mobility strategy at Hyundai Motor North America.
This is a great achievement by Hyundai and it’s one of The Driven’s top 2023 EV picks of vehicles to look forward to.
Credit: Hyundai
The Ioniq 6 like Hyundai’s other EV models has been very popular in other markets where pre-sales have occurred. In Europe, the launch edition of the popular new model sold out in under 24 hours last month when orders opened in Germany, the UK, France, Norway, and the Netherlands.
To improve supply in the Australian market, Hyundai has also recently announced the opening of its right-hand-drive EV manufacturing facility in Singapore which could supply EVs to us in the coming years.
In August last year, the Ioniq 6 was spotted doing local testing. We also expect the Hyundai Ioniq 6 to have a starting price of under $70,000 when it lands later this year. That’s in line with other electric sedans like the popular Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2. It is one of The Driven’s top EV picks to look forward to in 2023.
See Fully Charged Shows Hyundai Ioniq 6 review on YouTube:
Keyword: Low drag: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 blows range expectations out of the park