With advanced battery packs, EVs like Hyundai Ioniq 5 are ensuring a hassle-free experience and unlocking savings worth lakhs in refuelling costs
EV battery technology has undergone significant advancements in recent years. Concerns like range anxiety and battery replacement costs are now more perception than reality in most real-life experiences.
A recent example that supports this claim comes from South Korea, where a Hyundai Ioniq 5’s original battery was found in good health even after covering 5.80 lakh km. Let’s get more details of this story being shared widely on KR social media.
Ioniq 5 – Battery health at 87.7% after 5.80 lakh km
Lee Young-Heum, a salesman in South Korea and owner of a Hyundai Ioniq 5, covered around 5.80 lakh km in just 2 years and 9 months. That’s huge, considering daily average travel comes at around 586 km per day. What’s even more noteworthy is that the Ioniq 5 was using the original battery pack all this time. And the owner had not noticed any issues with the electric powertrain or the car.
Moreover, much of the refuelling was done at fast charging stations. This reveals that today’s advanced battery packs are better equipped to handle fast charging. It is generally believed that fast charging causes battery degradation. But this doesn’t seem to be the case with Mr. Lee Young-Heum’s Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Details shared by Lee got the attention of folks at the Hyundai-Kia Research Institute. Mr. Lee was provided a full replacement of the battery and the electric motor completely free of cost. This was done to get the used battery pack and motor to the lab for technical examination. Even when there were no issues reported with these components. The Ioniq 5 had an odometer reading of around 5.80 lakh km at this time. Such examinations are usually done on taxis, as they have much higher cumulative odometer readings.
Examining old battery packs and electric powertrains is a common procedure, part of the R&D, to understand the impact of real-life conditions on EV components. It helps detect potential issues and introduce improvements in the next version. Also, to check if the battery performed as per the predetermined model for durability. What the engineering team at Hyundai-Kia found was quite surprising, as the battery pack’s health status was 87.7%. That’s pretty good, considering the battery pack had endured 5.80 lakh km.
Major savings in refuelling, maintenance costs
Mr. Lee’s Ioniq 5 has also helped save a significant amount of money. With odometer reading at 6.60 lakh km, calculations reveal that total cumulative charging cost would have been around Rs 30.36 lakh. In comparison, driving a turbocharged 1.6-liter Tucson for the same distance would have cost around Rs 48.56 lakh. That means fuel cost savings of around Rs 18.20 lakh.
It was also noted that an ICE car like the Tucson covering 6.60 lakh km would have required around 66 oil changes, 13 brake fluid changes, 8 spark plug replacements and 11 transmission oil changes. With the Ioniq 5, only the basic consumables were needed for regular service and maintenance. Estimated savings in service and maintenance costs with the Ioniq 5 was around Rs 7 lakh, at 6.60 lakh km.
In addition to the savings, Ioniq 5 performed exceptionally well during this time. There was only one issue noted at 6.50 lakh km, when the car was not able to support slow charging. It was found that the on-board charger had reached its functional lifespan and had stopped working. Apart from that, there were no other major issues noted with the Ioniq 5, even after covering 6.60 lakh km.
