The newest information from the Hyundai brand is the fact they are preparing to bring us the new Kona Electric model and because this vehicle has been coming to the market, the Ioniq Electric seems to be largely ignored. This vehicle is expected to be offered with a boost in range from a single charge by the 2020 model year. Even though the Ioniq Electric will see a boost in the range offered, it won’t be as much as the Kona Electric, even after that additional boost, which makes us wonder what the future of the Ioniq Electric might be.

Tons of Room for Improvement from Hyundai

When the Hyundai Ioniq Electric first made its way to the market, it was offered with only 124 miles of driving range, which allows you to have the ability to drive a short distance every day. So far, the range expected for EV models has grown because we see plenty of EV models with a much longer range, it seems the Ioniq is falling behind and Hyundai needs to make improvements. The new Kona Electric is a vehicle that is rated at 258 miles of driving range, which means there’s a ton of room for improvement.

If Hyundai wants the Ioniq to be competitive with the rest of the models in the market, the new figure needs to be somewhere along the same lines as the Nissan Leaf which is the most popular EV model on the market in this price range. With this in mind, Hyundai could offer the new Ioniq Electric with a range of 200 miles from a single charge in order to make sure we can have more range and still have an affordable price for the vehicle we want to enjoy.

More Power is Needed for the Ioniq Electric

Not only does the Hyundai Ioniq need to have a boost in the range offered for the Electric model, but it needs to bring in more power as well. Right now the Ioniq Electric gives us 118 horsepower, which is extremely low in the EV segment. The standard Leaf only gives you 147 horsepower but that’s a lot more than the Ioniq. It would be good to see the new Ioniq Electric as a vehicle that has the power you need to match or offer more than what the Leaf brings.

The Challenge for Hyundai

One question that has come up with regards to adding power to the Ioniq Electric is why Hyundai doesn’t use the Kona powertrain in the Ioniq? Apparently, the Kona electric motor doesn’t fit in the Ioniq. This would be a simple solution to the problem, but the new Ioniq will have to be upgraded with its own version of an electric motor that fits in its size. The 2020 model year will show us how much attention the Hyundai team has given the Ioniq Electric to make it a more powerful car with a longer range for us to enjoy the drive.

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