2023 Hyundai RN22e Ioniq 6 Review: Concept Drive – Dubai Car News

“This is not just a technology demonstrator. We want to send the message that there is a promising future. We think we can deliver an exciting product in terms of EV performance.

It has 430kW and 740Nm, all-wheel drive, and looks ready for a hot lap of Mount Panorama. But for engineers at Hyundai’s N-brand and motorsport division, the Hyundai RN22e has been designed and engineered to test hardware and software that will not only be on the racetrack in 2023, but also in Hyundai’s first high-performance electric vehicle. Will also see duty. Ioniq 5 N.

The RN22e is of course based on the new Ioniq 6 sedan which is expected to go on sale in Australia in the first half of 2023.

When the race version of the Ioniq 6 takes to the track in Europe’s E-Touring Car World Cup next season, it will debut Hyundai’s E-GMP electric vehicle architecture competition and be the first car in the all-electric race series. The Gee vehicle is designed to be powered by wheels.

More interesting to most of us is what the RN22e says about Hyundai’s approach to building high-performance electric road cars.

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“It’s not just a design exercise,” says Jae Keun Yoo of N Brand’s Muscular RN22e.

“This is not just a technology demonstrator. We want to send the message that there is a promising future. We think we can deliver an exciting product in terms of EV performance.

The spec sheet certainly looks promising. The RN22e’s 430kW, 740Nm dual-motor powertrain is fed by a 77.4kWh battery, the same capacity used in the long-distance E-GMP road cars.

Output is asymmetrical between the two e-motors, with the rear unit producing 270kW and the front chipping in at 160kW. Hyundai says the motors now spin at more than 20,000rpm – up from 15,000rpm – to deliver more acceleration.

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A battery conditioning system raises the battery temperature to optimal levels to maximize performance before track driving, then lowers it to enable faster charging using E-GMP’s 800V architecture. .

To help make thermal management of the battery more efficient, the electric motor and battery have independent cooling systems, both of which open from a wider intake at the front of the car.

Based on E-GMP, the power distribution technology already present in Hyundais has been further developed, using experience gained from Hyundai’s World Rally cars, with rapid switching between all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive. Enabled.

The rear motor also has a torque vectoring system that uses clutches to individually adjust torque distribution to the left and right rear wheels.

With all the focus on the rear axle, it’s no surprise that the RN22e definitely feels tail-happy the first time you get behind the wheel. Lift off the accelerator when entering a corner and the rear end starts to come around immediately. Power through the middle with a quick sweeper and it’s the same story.

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With all this focus on the rear axle it’s no surprise that the RN22e definitely feels happy the first time you get behind the wheel.

Fortunately, the chassis makes its intentions clear, and the Hyundai gets used to using quick lift-off rotation to get into corners and then using the accelerator to control the angles when sliding through them. It doesn’t take long.

Of course, oversteer isn’t the fastest way around the racetrack everywhere and the RN22e project engineers admit that if you want to chase the ultimate lap times with a more balanced, high-grip chassis setup, it’s only a software tweak away. Is. But the RN22e is deliberately set up to be a show-off drift king, to prove that an EV can make you smile behind the wheel.

In an era when many EVs feel one-dimensional in terms of their dynamics, the RN22e’s chassis is amenable to driver input.

We found that in its most aggressive setting, the adjustable regenerative braking helped load the front axle on liftoff and initiate rotation on turn-in.

Selecting a lower range allows for more subtle adjustments with the accelerator, making the car feel more balanced through sharp corners.

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The result, of course, is that you work the brakes harder. For handling, the RN22e uses high-performance friction material pads in four-piston monobloc calipers that clamp 400mm rotors front and rear.

It stops well with consistency and good stability. N engineers say they are still working on the region braking technology to further improve it so drivers can attack corners faster and more aggressively.

N boss Till Wartenberg says high performance makes cars and people emotional, but he admits that making an electric vehicle as emotional as an ICE high-performance vehicle is a challenge.

That’s why the RN22e has a simulated gearshift mode and simulated engine noise, played through both internal and external speakers. From behind the wheel, the engine noise is surprisingly convincing, rising and falling in tandem with the fake gearshifts, which are activated by paddles just as they would be in a conventional ICE car with a dual-clutch transmission. are

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The simulated gearshift mode does not make you faster. In fact, it’s slow on the track, not least because the power and torque outputs from the e-motors are cut to make it feel like you’re shifting gears. But it feels reasonably realistic, and you have to pay attention to the shift points as quickly as possible, just as you would in a real DCT car.

Of course, the fake gear shift and fake engine noise are tricks. But you could argue that it’s no more gimmick than putting a clutch pedal and a seven-speed manual transmission in a Porsche 911 when the faster, smoother, more efficient PDK dual-clutch transmission is the best option for ultimate performance.

The thing is, fake shifts and fake noises are meant to be fun, and they undoubtedly add to the engagement for drivers who want the angry sound that comes from a big-power, high-torque EV.

This is why Hyundai plans to have both technologies available on the Ioniq 5 N.

Look out for our ‘regular’ new Ioniq 6 review in the coming weeks.