Hyundai Ioniq 7 is the electric vehicle of the future that will come within 2-years. Features next-gen EV technologies that will change the definition of 'motoring' forever!
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According to various news media in Korea, Hyundai motor group’s president, Mr. Eui-sun Chung has made an urgent trip to the US last month in April for meeting with the top dogs in Hyundai US operations as well as to inspect the US plant in Montgomery, Alabama.
Ui-sun Chung, President, Hyundai Motor Group
This urgent trip was made in the wake of the announcement made by Joe Biden’s US administration to give US automakers a huge boost. This is of course, a $174 billion proposals to boost electric vehicles calling for $100 billion in new consumer rebates and $15 billion to build 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations. The new EV rebates, part of a $2.3 trillion infrastructure and jobs proposal, would be a potentially big boost to U.S. automakers, especially General Motors and Tesla, which no longer qualify for $7,500 rebates after they sold more than 200,000 zero-emission models. However, this would be a huge opportunity for Hyundai as well, as a large chunk of the electric vehicles is destined for the US market anyway, so it would only make sense for the Korean maker to manufacture its electric vehicles in the US.
And it was during the trip that the CEO of Hyundai decided on Ioniq 7, the 3rd model to come from the electric-exclusive subbrand of Hyundai, to be the model manufactured in the US plant and 1-year ahead of the schedule in 2023.
And what makes Ioniq 7 so significant? It’s because Ioniq 7 is the model that will truly showcase all the newest technology that Hyundai has been developing in preparation for the new electric era.
With a wheelbase expected to be longer than the current Palisade at 114-inches or 2900mm and even the Ioniq 5 at 118-inches or 3000 mm, the electric Ioniq 7 will be a substantially sized 3-row SUV with similar segment positioning as the internal combustion Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. The electric SUV will be built on the sensational 800V E-GMP dedicated electric car platform, which will underpin all of the next-generation dedicated EV’s from the Hyundai group including Ioniq, Kia, and Genesis.
We have already seen what the 800V architecture E-GMP-based electric vehicles can do from the already launched Ioniq 5 and EV6 crossovers, the first EV's of the series, that surprised the world with their incredibly fast charging speed, long-range, state-of-the-art technology, and futuristic styling to match. And what’s even more incredible is that the IONIQ 7 will be better than the first-generation E-GMP-based cars by a significant margin.
So, why is Hyundai choosing the Ioniq 7 to be the strategic model for the US? Hyundai group has seen its sales explode in recent years due to the popularity of its SUV models such as Santa Fe, and Tucson, as well as Kia Sorento, and Sportage. However, in particular, it’s the popular 3-row models such as Telluride and Palisade that has made Hyundai a powerhouse in the SUV game. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that the CEO of the company has personally selected the Ioniq 7 to be the most symbolic and significant model to carry the company into the full-electric age.
And what makes Ioniq 7 so significant? It’s because Ioniq 7 is the model that will truly showcase all the newest technology that Hyundai has been developing in preparation for the new electric era. Ioniq 5 and even the upcoming Ioniq 6 is to utilize many technologies that are already being used in the existing electric cars such as 300 miles range battery and level 2 drivers assist self-driving autonomy, but the Ioniq 7 will be equipped with a whole new next-level of technology.
The most significant technological improvement made to the Ioniq 7 will be the battery. Staying true to its stars and stripes manufacturing origin, the newest electric SUV from Hyundai is to be fitted with the next-generation batteries from its compatriot SK Innovation, manufactured in the US at its 2.6-billion dollars American plant in Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia. SK Innovation already supplies its batteries to Volkswagen for the ID4 electric SUV, and is also expected to supply Ford for its all-electric F150 pickup. Although it’s the mission of the partnership between SK Innovation and Hyundai to fully commercialize solid-state battery by 2030, it won’t be available to be used in the Ioniq 7 just yet, however, the battery used in the Ioniq 7 will be more advance than in the Ioniq 5 and even the upcoming Ioniq 6 electric sedan coming in 2022.
So, how do the batteries in the Ioniq 7 differ from the previous one? The new battery is to have an increase in the energy density of its Lithium-ion battery cells from 600 watt-hour-to-liter to 700 watt-hour-to-liter and ultimately arrive at 500 miles of 800 km maximum range.
Which is actually a near solid-state battery performance. Initially, however, the first edition Ioniq 7 is expected to start out with about 400 miles range and step up to 450 miles in the subsequent editions. Based on the 800V E-GMP architecture, the current technology allows one of the industry’s fastest charging times of just 18 minutes 10-80% charge using a 350kW ultra-fast charger. However, the charge time is expected to be significantly faster when Ioniq 7 is released. In fact, the 800V charging architecture has the potential to achieve 80% charge in incredible 7 minutes! This next-gen battery will power the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup with the potential of up to 600-hp at its disposal. The all-wheel-drive easily converts to a two-wheel-drive automatically and seamlessly to reduce any loss of energy via Hyundai’s innovative Disconnector Actuator System or DAS for increased range and maximum traction.
WiTricity Wireless Charger
The Ioniq 7’s next groundbreaking technology is the wireless charging feature. Developed in conjunction with the US company WiTricity that specializes in inductive charging. The technology is to make its first appearance in the recently unveiled electrified G80 or G80e sedan, but the technology is to be improved and perfected to offer faster speed than the initial charging capability of 6 to 8 kWh, especially if applied to the dedicated EV architecture such as IONIQ 7’s E-GMP. FYI, G80e is a derivative EV based on the internal combustion engine G80 sedan, but it still offers many E-GMP features such as an 800V charging system that can charges to 80% in 22 minutes, and even features E-GMP’s signature V2L or Vehicle to Load system that offers electricity for domestic appliances for up to 24-hours, or to charge another electric vehicle.
This wireless charging will no doubt be the most significant part of the overall technology offered by the new Ioniq 7 should the nationwide implementation for wireless charging is to be a part of the Biden administration's overall EV infrastructure upgrade. With this inductive charging technology, Hyundai itself is planning to implement another innovative feature called electric vehicle wireless charging system & automated valet parking system that parks itself and charges wirelessly, and return to the driver autonomously upon command. This could only work if Hyundai possesses the full-self-driving technology. And we have no worries there.
That’s because the Ioniq 7 will be guaranteed to have the level-3 autonomy, which is near self-driving to start, and even be ready to receive the level-4 self-driving when the technology is perfected by the American self-driving technology company called Motional, which is, in turn, a joint venture between Aptiv, formerly known as Delphi, and Hyundai. Motional has already achieved the level-4 driverless autonomy technology after successfully testing self-driving tests on public roads with empty driver’s seats in Las Vegas in February 2021. For the testing, the Boston-based company deployed multiple self-driving vehicles that navigated intersections, unprotected turns, and interactions with others including pedestrians and cyclists. The company said it has accumulated 1.5 million miles of testing and a two-year safety evaluation process that took hundreds of employees more than 100,000 hours to complete and received an external review ahead of the testing. This technology is expected to be fully commercialized for 2023 when it will be utilized to operate Ioniq 5 as driverless robotaxi together with Lyft, another American company.
Ioniq 7’s initial Level 3 handsfree autonomous driving is called Highway Driving Pilot or HDP, which is a step above the Ioniq-5’s level-2 autonomy called Highway Driving Assist 2 or HDA2 that uses Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist and Intelligent Speed Limit Assist to allow for partial handsfree driving. On the other hand, the level-3 technology is nearly self-driving, capable of driving itself under most conditions, but the driver is still expected to take over when alerted. However, the much more advanced level-4 technology will make the vehicle virtually full-autonomous. At later date, the Ioniq 7’s level-3 autonomy will be upgraded to level-4 through the vehicle’s OTA or over-the-air firmware update system, which is capable of changing and even install new features via wireless means to keep the vehicle fresh and new through its lifespan. However, OTA is not the only electronic innovation that will make the Ioniq 7 feel like the vehicle of the future.
All Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models, starting in 2022, are to feature a new ‘NVIDIA DRIVE’ connected car platform as standard. Developed in conjunction with the American multinational company NVIDIA, the technology will apply to the Ioniq vehicles starting from the Ioniq 6 and on to the Ioniq 7. NVIDIA DRIVE digital cockpit includes a hardware and software stack, and it allows Hyundai group’s infotainment systems to merge connectivity, navigation, audio, video, and AI-based connected car services.
The NVIDIA DRIVE platform-based infotainment systems will feature Hyundai group’s next ‘connected car operation system or ccOS.’ The in-house developed OS will use NVIDIA’s software frameworks to provide advanced services such as the aforementioned OTA system. The partnership with NVIDIA would allow Hyundai to build one of the most advanced digital interiors in the industry.
Ioniq 6 Interior Concept
As a part of the high-tech digital interior, another highlight of the Ioniq 7 will be the next-generation Digital Key. Hyundai’s current Digital Key technology, which is still new, allows users to unlock and start their Hyundai via their smartphone. The Digital Key is downloaded via a smartphone application and can be used by up to four authorized people.
Currently, the user needs to hold the smartphone with the Digital Key against the driver or front passenger door handle to unlock the car. The Hyundai Ioniq 7 would come with the more advanced Digital Key 3.0 that needs the user’s smartphone to be in enough proximity with the vehicle for a specific time period to unlock the doors. In other words, it provides passive access where the user would not need to take the smartphone out of the pocket.
In conclusion, The all-American Ioniq 7 will be a highly advanced full-size electric SUV, which will be another class up from the recently launched Ioniq 5 and EV6 in terms of technology that it will offer, taking us closer to the future that we have only dreamt about within just 2-years from now. And it’s bound to set new records for Hyundai in terms of sales surpassing even the incredible sales feats set by the Ioniq 5 and EV6. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the kind of frenzy that we have witnessed with Kia Telluride, where even after 3 years of release there still appears to be an ongoing price premium charged for the popular 3-row SUV.
Furthermore, Ioniq 7 is expected to bear the platform-sharing siblings Kia EV9 and Genesis GV90 soon afterward, which would make the appeal of the next-generation electric SUV even broader. As stated, the expected unveiling would take place in 2023 with an estimated starting price of $70,000.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/jYE431ESG_Q