Hyundai Ioniq 5 With 58 kWh Pack: In-Depth Charging Analysis

Following the most recent fast charging analysis of the European Hyundai Ioniq 5 with a 72.6 kWh battery, it's time for an in-depth analysis of the entry-level 58.2 kWh battery version.

One of the early units was recently tested at an IONITY fast charging station by Andreas Haehnel, which allows us to get an idea of what to expect. The outside temperature was 16°C, according to the video.

The results are very interesting so let's get into details.

Charging power vs state-of-charge (SOC)

The test from 0% to 90% SOC reveals a mostly flat charging curve, that has Ioniq 5's specific instant power changes and a temporary dip (this time around 60% SOC).

Peak charging power is about 177 kW. As we can see, the highest output is available from about 7% to 45% SOC, then there is a reduction below 145 kW, which stays until 57%. After the temporary dip, the power charging continues at a similar level of around 140 kW for a while. Then we can see a gradual decrease, up to 50 kW at 86%.

State-of-charge (SOC) vs time

According to the video, charging from 20% to 80% SOC took a little bit over 15 minutes, while the entire session was about 27 minutes.

It takes about 12-13 minutes to add 200 km (124 miles) of range when starting at 10-20% SOC.

The chart below is only for illustrative purposes:

Average charging power vs state-of-charge (SOC)

The average power in the very important range from 20% to 80% SOC is 144 kW, which is 81% of the peak value.

The result is really good for the battery size and the averages remain high until the high SOC values.

C-rate vs state-of-charge (SOC)

The peak C-rate* - charging power in relation to the total battery capacity of 62 kWh (our guess) - is about 2.85C.

The average C-rate when charging from 20% to 80% SOC is 2.3C. Both results are very good.

*C-rate tells us how the charging power relates to the battery pack capacity. For example: 1C is 1-hour charging power (current), when the power value in kW is equal to the battery pack capacity in kWh. 2C would be enough to recharge in half an hour.

The net battery capacity of 58.2 kWh stands for about 94% of the total battery capacity (if our guess is correct).

Range replenishing speed vs state-of-charge (SOC)

The rate of range replenishing depends on the energy consumption and the energy consumption depends on the use case. We have data only for the WLTP test cycle.

• WLTP
  Taking into consideration the WLTP range of 370 km (230 miles) and available battery capacity of 58.2 kWh, we can assume energy consumption of 157 Wh/km (253 Wh/mile).
  The effective average speed of range replenishing when charging from 20% to 80% SOC would be 15.2 km/minute (9.5 miles/minute).

The results are very good - state-of-the-art for its battery capacity range. Only a few models with bigger batteries can get higher values.

Ultimate DC fast charging card

Here is our ultimate charging card for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (58.2 kWh) that shows an estimated time of charging to add a certain number of SOC percent points, average charging power, added energy, and added range for listed SOC ranges. Click here to enlarge the image.

The matrix above, might be helpful from the user perspective, but be aware that it's just an estimate from a particular test, with measure and calculation uncertainty probably above 5%. On top of that comes variation for individual case - car (version, age/battery state-of-health), charger, ambient and battery temperature, software version and more (including cabin heating/cooling during charging). Another thing is that the charging curve might shift when charging starts at a lower/higher SOC.

Comparisons with other EVs

At first, we would like to compare the 58.2 kWh battery version with the 72.6 kWh battery version (previous test at IONITY and Hyundai's manufacturer demo in South Korea).

Comparison of charging power

As we can see, the smaller battery version has a similar charging curve, just the power level appears to be proportionally lower (roughly 20%) to the lower capacity.

The average 20-80% SOC at 144 kW is about 15-20% below the level noted in tests of the larger pack.

Comparison of State-of-charge (SOC) vs time

Charging times appear to be comparable with the bigger battery version.

Comparison of C-rate

The main reason behind similar charging time and power level proportional to the capacity is a similar C-rate level for most of the time, under 3.0C peak.

All packs are under a very similar load.

Comparison of range replenishing speed

The main difference between the versions emerges when comparing the range replenishing speed.

The smaller and lighter 58.2 kWh battery version of the car is a few percent more efficient (WLTP), however, it's not enough to offset the 15-20% difference in charging power. In effect, the bigger battery version replenishes range noticeably faster.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 (58.2 kWh), despite an outstanding score of 15.2 km/min (9.5 mi/min) is no match for the 72.6 kWh battery version, but it's one of the top EVs out there and #1 for EVs with a similar battery capacity.

For comparison, Hyundai Ioniq 5 (58.2 kWh) has a higher average than the entry-level Tesla Model 3 (53-55 kWh) or Volkswagen ID.3 (62 kWh): see full report here.

Conclusions

The conclusion from the DC fast charging test of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (58.2 kWh) is that it charges great, just like the 72.6 kWh battery version - just proportionally at lower power and lower range replenishing speed. Charging times are basically the same.

There is a strange power dip in the middle of the session, but other than that it's all ok. There are not many cars that can charge faster at ultra-fast chargers and those that can have bigger packs.

See also

Porsche Taycan (93 kWh Battery) Fast Charging Analysis: Very Good

Analysis: Fast Charging Of The New Fiat 500 Electric

General info:

* Some values on the charts are estimated from the data source.

** Temperature of the battery cells might highly negatively affect charging capabilities. We don't have data about temperatures of the battery at the beginning and during the charging process. In cold or hot weather, as well as after driving very dynamically, charging power might be significantly lower than shown on the charts (in extreme cases charging might be impossible until the battery temperature will not return to an acceptable level).