Pointers at Glance
- With the 2023 Loniq 5 hatchback arriving this fall and the 2023 Loniq 6 sedan arriving early next year, Hyundai is unveiling a battery preconditioning feature that will help set drivers up for a highly consistent experience at DC fast-charging stations.
- The long-range versions of the Ioniq 5 and the closely related Kia EV6 have already provided some of the fastest charging times available in any electric vehicle, of just 18 min from 10% to 80% on a 350-kw CCS connector.
As drivers may have experienced in the Ioniq 5 and closely related Kia EV6, plugging into a 350-kw connector in these models in anything less than warm weather can lead to unestimated charging rates and times, sometimes only serving to emphasize that the 150-kw connector might be just as fast.
As called by Hyundai, Battery Conditioning is different than the Winter Mode these vehicles have had all along. While Winter Mode aims to warm the battery to improve performance in cold temperatures, Hyundai emphasizes that Battery Conditioning mode heats the battery to a higher target temperature.
When the driver sets a DC fast-charging station as the destination, Battery Conditioning mode automatically uses extra energy to heat the battery in expectation of arrival at the charging station, warming the battery over nearly 20 minutes before charging begins.
So far, unlike in the Lucid Air or the GMC Hummer EV, to name two other high-power-charging vehicles, there is no manual button on the vehicle screen, so the driver can tell the vehicle they are going to plug into a high-power fast-charger in a short time. However, Hyundai plans to have an app-based battery-heating feature to add that functionality.
Hyundai mentions that the interface is evolving and, with higher-volume models, such as the upcoming Ioniq 7 SUV, is likely for US assembly. While these models’ fast-charging times were an achievement, making them easy to access will be yet another.
