The 2024 Ioniq 6 has been acknowledged as Hyundai‘s most aerodynamic electric vehicle to date, with a remarkably low 0.21 drag coefficient as per InsideEVs.
Factors affecting Ioniq 6’s efficiency:
- Slippery shape – it enables the Ioniq 6 to travel 614 kilometers (381 miles) on a single battery charge (WLTP). Additionally, it considerably affects driving stability, performance, and wind noise.
- 1930s-style aerodynamic design – the 1947 Stout Scarab, the Phantom Corsair, and the Saab Ursaab were three main influences on the Ioniq 6’s sleek appearance, as per Hyundai’s head of styling, Simon Loasby.
- Installed Spitfire-inspired winglet – the British fighter plane Supermarine Spitfire from World War II also had a significant impact. The Ioniq 6’s rear spoiler has a winglet on its side inspired by a Spitfire to deflect roof-borne airflow. The fewer vortices near the spoiler’s tip, the less drag there is.
- Airplane wing-like shape – it offers a pressure differential between the top and bottom of the car, creating lift aerodynamically at high speeds.
- Rear spoiler’s downforce – it helps to maintain stability by reducing lift even when traveling at high speeds.
- Nature inspired – the Ioniq 6 has a shape that a peregrine falcon assumes when it dives at 390 km/h after prey (242 mph).
- Morphing technique – it is a shape-shifting tech that is applied to the rear spoiler. It enabled the Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 to hit additional 10% efficiency when put through a wind tunnel test with a 3400 HP fan producing winds of about 200 km/h (124 mph).
- Using a supercomputer for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis – it enabled the engineers to choose the best spoiler form from around 70 choices. Through this, an active air flap, wheel air curtains, wheel gap reducers, separation traps, and wheel deflectors were installed in trouble spots.
According to Hyundai, these technological developments are appealing in addition to being useful. The following video demonstrates how each of these aerodynamic techniques functions.
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