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Hyundai has confirmed its intention to sell an N version of the Ioniq 5 that will be the company’s first high-performance electric vehicle. Pricing and release date information will come later this year.The Korean automaker also showed media a 577-hp electric sports sedan concept based on the newly launched Ioniq 6. A third N performance model shown was a 671-hp hydrogen fuel-cell/electric hybrid sports car, the N Vision 74. There’s no word yet on when (or if) either concept will see production.Car and Driver was present for a Hyundai event in Busan, South Korea, this afternoon that the company called “N Day.” The subject was performance, and the recurring theme was that Hyundai will absolutely not let performance fall by the wayside as electrification becomes ever more deeply ingrained in Hyundai’s product lineup. One production car was confirmed for the near term: a pure electric Ioniq 5 N slated to be available in 2023. We can’t show you the 5 N yet, as Hyundai did not release any details and leaves the look of it entirely up to our imaginations.The RN22e and N Vision 74 concepts were both characterized as “rolling lab” test beds that will be used to refine electric-vehicle performance technology that will be applied to future N offerings. In Hyundai-speak, a rolling lab test bed is the halfway point between a pure purpose-built racing machine and a production car, so such vehicles reflect an intent to bring certain technologies to market.Exploring the Platform’s Performance LimitsThe RN22e is an electric sports sedan concept that is based on the Ioniq 6’s streamlined body, E-GMP dual-motor platform, and 800-volt architecture, with power output bolstered to 577 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, in line with the Kia EV6 GT.

Hyundai RN22e concept.
Hyundai

Of the two concepts, the RN22e is more of a near-term effort designed to probe the performance limits of the E-GMP dual-motor electric-car platform. It also comes across as a glimpse of what an Ioniq 6 N might look like if they decide to make one. Its uprated motors and 77.4-kWh battery represents a substantial increase over the 321 hp and 446 lb-ft that the upcoming AWD Ioniq 6 will produce. The RnN22e’s motors aren’t just more powerful, the direct-drive transmission has also been fitted with dual-clutch torque vectoring to not only improve agility and corner-exit traction, but to also explore the potential benefits of torque-vectored regenerative braking at turn-in.

It’s also an attention grabber, with a tall GT-style rear wing, a massive rear diffuser, and a front grille that has been substantially opened up to admit the extra cooling air this more powerful powertrain is likely to need. It crouches some 0.7 inch lower than the production Ioniq 6, but what really sets it apart is that its front and rear fenders are substantially wider. These not only represent an extra 5.6 inches of body width and enable a healthy increase in track width, they’re also stuffed full of 275/35ZR-21 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires at each end.Like the Ioniq 6, the RN22e rides on strut suspension up front and a multilink in the rear, but the bits are substantially different owing to its wider track and a much greater emphasis on handling. Its shocks are independently adjustable for compression and rebound, but there’s also a small amount of height adjustability. The main springs are standard-looking coils, but cutaways we saw showed that each is mounted in line with a modest lift system. It’s not yet clear if this is intended to be a speed bump/driveway clearance lift system, or a system that’s meant to dynamically lower the car at speed. Since the feature appears at both ends, we’re banking on the latter. As for the brakes, the RN22e’s prodigious regenerative braking capability is bolstered by four-piston monoblock calipers and 15.7-inch two-piece ventilated rotors up front, with more pedestrian single-piston sliding calipers doing the deed out back. N Vision 74 Is the Pony Concept Coupe’s Modern DescendantWe’re even more excited by the N Vision 74 test bed, which is a two-seat, rear-drive 671-hp hydrogen fuel-cell/electric hybrid sports car. Its mid-engine proportions bring to mind the BMW M1 and Lancia 037.

Hyundai N Vision 74 concept.
Hyundai

However, its angular wedge design aesthetic actually connects back to the Giugiaro-penned 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe concept that never saw the light of day. This wild-looking machine that represents a more long-term view of where N-car powertrain development might go, while also paying homage to the earliest days of Hyundai’s history. The number 74 refers to 1974, the year that famed designer Giorgetto Giugiaro penned not only the Hyundai Pony, an unremarkable four-door liftback that went into production in 1975, but also the Pony Concept Coupe, a bolder two-door design that never saw the light of day. The styling of the N Vision 74 is a modern take on a car that never was, and it’s a stunner that went to the longer, lower, wider school of design. It measures 195.0 inches long, 52.4 inches high, and 78.5 inches wide with a 114.4-inch wheelbase.The N Vision 74 is a rear-drive two-seat sports car that’s powered by a separate electric motor on each side. They team up for a maximum combined output of 671 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, and because they’re independent the torque vectoring effect is produced by commanding asymmetrical output instead of adjusting clutch pack pressure. Hyundai’s claimed 60 mph acceleration of less than four seconds seems like an easy putt, but we think there’s more in it. They’re also targeting a WLTP range of some 600 kilometers, which translates into 315 miles or so in EPA terms . . . if we ever get to that point. This is, after all, a “rolling lab” test bed.Electricity to power those motors comes from two sources: a 62.4-kWh battery pack that can be charged as you would any EV (complete with the same sort of 800-volt fast charging capability of the Ioniq 5 and 6), and an 85-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell that produces electricity on demand. Ostensibly, the fuel cell is used to recharge the battery to extend range while underway and to provide overboost when demand is high, but the team will also explore deployment strategies that will reduce the draw on the battery to manage its temperature in a range of driving situations, up to and including extended lapping on a racetrack.

Layout-wise, the fuel cell stack is mounted under the hood, with the T-shaped battery running between and behind the seats. The twin motors are mounted low between the rear wheels, and a pair of hydrogen tanks sit just above, a position that puts them behind the seats and under the decklid. Those tanks hold 4.2 kg of hydrogen and can be refilled in just five minutes. Huge air intakes mounted behind each door cool the motors, the battery, and the power electronics, and there’s another intake built into the nose that feeds a heat exchanger for the fuel-cell stack. There’s a massive splitter up front to produce downforce and shovel air into the cooling system, while the rear end is dominated by a tall wing and a full-width diffuser that draws air out from under the car and through the side vents.Ioniq 5 N Expected in Near Future Now that it has been confirmed, it’s only a matter of time before we drive the new Ioniq 5 N. Performance and pricing details are being held back for now, but we should know something closer to the end of this year. As for the RN22e and N Vision 74, the future is a bit more uncertain, particularly for the more ambitious N Vision 74. Our N-Day hosts did suggest that driving opportunities for both may be in the offing in the coming months. Whenever it happens, we’re eager to see how Hyundai’s take on performance-minded EVs pans out.
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As part of its nearly $750 million investment in electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, GM is building 2000 DC fast-chargers at 500 Pilot and Flying J truck stops.The initiative will be powered by EVgo, which operates the most fast-charging locations in the U.S.The first phase of chargers should be operational by 2023, and they will be placed along highways with the goal of facilitating coast-to-coast travel in EVs. Remember the Smokey and the Bandit song about a 28-hour bootleg road trip, “Eastbound and down, loaded up and EVing”? Wait, those aren’t the lyrics. But they could be in the near future, as GM looks to make cross-country travel in an electric car easier. And who better to do that with than the country’s largest truck stop chain? The American automotive giant is partnering with Pilot Company, the majority owner of Pilot Flying J, to build 2000 DC fast-chargers capable of delivering up to 350 kilowatts, at 500 Pilot and Flying J truck stops.Pilot Company CEO Shameek Konar said that the joint initiative was designed “to help reduce range anxiety and significantly close the gap in long-distance EV charger demand.”

EVs’ U.S. market share doubled from the start of 2021 to the start of 2022, and that figure keeps growing. However, existing charging infrastructure heavily favors metropolitan areas, and a limited quantity of rural and highway-side fast-chargers hinders EV owners’ ability to drive cross-country. GM and Pilot Company want to alleviate that, as they intend to install their 2000 chargers at 50-mile intervals along highways. They’re Joining the EVgo Charger Network To do so, GM and Pilot Company are employing EVgo, which, with over 850 locations, is the most extensive fast-charging network in the country. EVgo will install, operate, and maintain GM and Pilot Company’s charging network through its eXtend program, with the first wave of chargers expected to be operational by 2023. Along with the EVgo logo, the chargers will be branded with both the Pilot Flying J logo and GM’s charging brand, Ultium Charge 360.

EVgo

The charging network is part of greater initiatives from both GM and Pilot Company. GM has pledged to invest nearly $750 million, alongside public grant money, into improving EV charging infrastructure, especially, as they said in 2021, in “underserved, rural, and urban areas where EV charging access is often limited.” This goes hand in hand with the automaker’s goal of only producing zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. Meanwhile, Pilot Company is in the process of updating its Pilot and Flying J truck stops with expanded seating, nicer restrooms, free Wi-Fi, and more. Both these initiatives are good news for EV owners, as it means more charging locations and cushier amenities while you wait, even if the chargers’ 350-kilowatt capacity will only keep you there for a few minutes.
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The Nissan Leaf was the first modern, mass-produced electric vehicle to reach the U.S. market, arriving in the 2011 model year. Reports say production of the Leaf is to be phased out sometime in the mid-decade. Although the Leaf’s chapter is drawing to a close, Nissan projects that 40 percent of its U.S. sales will be EVs by 2030. No car stays around forever, even if we hope some of them do (see Porsche 911). From the looks of things, there is another car whose appointment with the gallows pole is drawing near. Automotive News reported that the Nissan Leaf will be phased out over a period of the next few years even as Nissan ushers in an arsenal of fresh EVs—starting with the new Ariya. When it came to market in the 2011 model year, the Nissan Leaf was the first modern, mass-produced electric vehicle in the U.S. It was inexpensive, had funky styling, and was an exciting look into the future of electric cars. The issue was that it didn’t sell well. Although the Leaf has been part of Nissan’s U.S. lineup for a dozen years now, fewer than 175,000 units have been sold.
Opinions of the Leaf have varied. Some called the styling cute, while others were more disparaging. No matter where your opinion on the Leaf lies, you would ignore the history by calling it insignificant. Despite lackluster sales numbers, the Leaf really was a venture into the unknown of living with an electric car in the modern age. It came just before the Chevy Volt plug-in-hybrid and a full 18 months before Elon Musk and his Tesla Model S barreled onto the scene.

The dull driving demeanor and modest range have hampered our enthusiasm for the Leaf and likely kept it from reaping the benefits of surging interest in EVs. While high-end EVs are now seeing as much as 400 and even 500 miles of range, the 2022 Leaf offers 226 estimated miles in its larger battery and 149 in the base version. Although the bet Nissan made on the Leaf hasn’t really panned out, as the car enters the autumn of its years, we’d do well to acknowledge its role in mainstreaming the notion of electric cars in America.
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The Ioniq 6 “electrified streamliner” sedan is as slippery as it looks, with a 0.21 coefficient of drag (Cd) that is the lowest Hyundai has yet achieved.With powertrain and battery options that mirror the Ioniq 5’s, the Ioniq 6’s estimated WTLP range of 610 km may translate to more than 400 miles of EPA-rated range for the rear-drive variant with the larger 77.4-kWh battery.Actual U.S.-market specifications will not be revealed until this November at the Los Angeles auto show, with North American market production slated for early 2023.One look at the new Ioniq 6 “electrified streamliner” sedan is all it takes to see why that nickname fits. It rides on a 116.1-inch wheelbase that’s 2.0 inches shorter than the Ioniq 5’s, but that allowed its 191.1-inch body, which is 8.6 inches longer than the 5’s, to be drawn out into a sleek shape with a distinctively tapered “boat tail” rear end that produces a very slick 0.21 coefficient of drag. The fact that its roof stands 4.1 inches shorter than the boxier Ioniq 5 certainly helped VP of Hyundai Design Simon Loasby and his design team achieve that goal, but the lowered roofline also has the added benefit of dramatically reducing the Ioniq 6’s cross-sectional area, which makes its low drag coefficient (Cd) that much more significant because total drag is a function of Cd multiplied by cross-sectional area. Powertrain OptionsOn paper, the powertrain offerings look very familiar to the Ioniq 5’s because the two cars are both built on Hyundai’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). You’ll have the choice of either single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive configurations. Overall power output of the dual-motor version matches that of the Ioniq 5, with the AWD Ioniq 6 delivering 321 combined horsepower and 446 pound-ft of torque.Likewise, two battery capacities will be offered, with the rear-drive model available with either a 53.0-kWh or 77.4-kWh pack and the AWD model coming exclusively with the larger pack. As with the Ioniq 5, the powertrain’s 800-volt architecture allows the car to take advantage of high-output 350 kW DC fast-charging stations, which will reportedly lift the battery from 10 to 80 percent charge in just 18 minutes.
Range EstimatesBut the Ioniq 6 is said to be far more efficient than the Ioniq 5, and with that comes a significant boost in range. Hyundai predicts that rear-drive versions with the 77.4-kWh battery will be good for over 610 kilometers on the European WLTP cycle. By comparing that to the Ioniq 5’s confirmed WLTP and EPA figures, we estimate that the Ioniq 6 could earn an EPA rating of some 400 miles.The slippery shape of the Ioniq 6 plays a huge role here, but Hyundai engineers we spoke with also said the 6 also benefits from a few powertrain optimization developments, including next generation semiconductors in the inverter, reworked motors that now feature hairpin windings, and a re-optimized control strategy when switching between single-motor and dual-motor operation in the all-wheel drive version.Design Details

The streamlined Ioniq 6 looks significantly different from the minecraft-inspired Ioniq 5, but if you look closely you’ll see pixelated details built into the head- and taillights that are an Ioniq signature element. Inside, the dual-screen instrument panel/infotainment interface is present, and the 6 feels spacious front and rear despite its slightly shorter wheelbase. Our 6-foot 2-inch tester was able to sit behind himself quite comfortably, which is a neat trick considering the aggressively tapered roofline. On the other hand, the designers are more excited than we are about their decision to use center-mounted window switches that allow for naked doors, and we’re not sure how the speed-synchronized ambient lighting, which gets brighter as speed increases, will play out in the real world. We assume/hope there will be an “off” button.
Specific details about the configuration, performance and pricing of the North American version of the Ioniq 6 will not be released until November’s L.A. auto show, and the production of units bound for these shores will not commence until the first quarter of 2023. Still, we’re excited by the truly amazing range estimate that Hyundai has revealed. The Ioniq 6 looks set to offer a substantial boost over the competition, and that will be even more significant considering the E-GMP platform’s 800-volt architecture and superior DC fast-charging capability, which we’ve already experienced with the Ioniq 5.
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The 2023 Jeep Wrangler is adding two new, interestingly named paint colors called Earl and Reign.Earl is a gray hue with hints of aquamarine that was first seen on the Jeep Gladiator Farout concept.Reign is a purple shade—and seemingly a Prince reference—that will have limited availability.Fans of the Jeep Wrangler who also happen to love Prince—or the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, if you like—now have the chance to choose a paint color that sounds like it was named after the late musician’s “Purple Rain” album and the accompanying film. That’s because for the 2023 model year the Wrangler will be available in purple paint called Reign. That has to be more than a coincidence, right?

Purple ReignJeep says it will only offer a limited number of 2023 Wranglers painted in purple Reign. It’s a $495 option that can be ordered now through October 2022. And that’s not the only interestingly named, newly available paint color that Wrangler buyers can choose from for the latest model year. No, it’s not yellow after the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” or “Red”—as in T. Swift’s greatest album. It’s weirder. It’s…Earl.

Jeep

A Paint Color Called EarlAny potential “Earl” reference is less obvious. Earl Gray tea, perhaps? The TV sitcom “My Name is Earl,” starring Jason Lee? We may never know. What we do know is that the color Earl is gray with an aquamarine tint. It costs $395 and can be ordered now and throughout the entire model year. The paint job first appeared on the Jeep Gladiator Farout concept back in 2020.
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