2022 Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept: Track test
This is Hyundai’s vision of the retro future; a car that blends electricity and hydrogen, in a sleek, angular coupé body.
- Electric and hydrogen cars can be fast and fun
- Artificial sound enhancers break the silence
- Awesome traction out of tight turns
- Electric and hydrogen cars are heavy
- The e-shift tech is clever but counterproductive
- The showroom cost of this tech will be astronomical
Hyundai performance concepts: N Vision 74 and RN22e
These two rolling laboratories won’t be in showrooms anytime soon, but they reveal a couple of key ingredients for car enthusiasts.
Hyundai is experimenting with an artificial gearbox feel for its electric motors, dubbed e-shift. And finding new ways to make electric cars sound exciting, as well as creating 'idle shake'.
The South Korean car giant invited media from around the world – including Drive.com.au – to Germany to test its future electric performance models on a race track.
The Audi Quattro look-a-like is the N Vision 74 Concept. Although it's inspired by one of Hyundai’s earliest designs, it is a pointer to the company’s hydrogen future.
The other, a sleek coupe-like sedan, is the Hyundai RN22e, which is said to be a test bed for the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 5 N hot hatch electric car.
Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept
Hyundai is already on its second-generation of hydrogen-powered SUVs, now it is exploring hydrogen for its performance vehicles.
If the design looks familiar that’s because its inspiration dates back to one of Hyundai’s most popular models in its formative years.
If you can spot the similarly with the first Audi Quattro that’s because, back in the day, the same Italian design house was responsible for drafting the iconic Audi, the original Delorean, and the Hyundai Pony coupe from 1974 (hence the name of this concept).
All three cars have similar silhouettes, as well as familiar window lines and sharp creases.
Unlike existing hydrogen cars that integrate hydrogen fuel cells and an electric motor, the N Vision 74 separates the two.
Hyundai says this improves cooling and airflow, and integrates the battery pack with the body structure.
That’s why a hydrogen fuel cell is mounted over the front axle, and a drive motor and two 2.1kg hydrogen tanks are located over the rear axle.
The battery is arranged in a T-shape in the centre of the floor structure.
Thanks to hydrogen power it can be refuelled in five minutes, and the 800V battery pack enables fast charging.
The fuel cell system itself is rated at 85kW, and the battery capacity is listed at 62.4kWh. Claimed maximum driving range is 600km.
The combined output: 500kW (or about 680 horsepower in the old money) and an epic 900Nm.
To control all that power and torque, Hyundai came up with an advanced traction system to help it claw out of corners.
Hyundai claims the N Vision 74 has a top speed of 250km/h and can do the 0 to 100 km/h dash in less than 4 seconds, which is Porsche-quick.
Just how quick? The acceleration and braking of both vehicles was so brutal, the onboard cameras wriggled loose from their mountings.
Compared to the RN22e, the N Vision 74 felt harder on its brakes and took longer to wash off speed on a race track. This could be because the brakes were a bit tired from previous test drives – or because the extra weight of the hydrogen system blunted braking performance.
Hyundai did not share the weight of these prototype test vehicles, but they both felt heavy. How Hyundai managed to make them feel relatively nimble is a feat of engineering – and sticky tyres.
As brief as our test drives were – a couple of laps at speed in each vehicle – it was a fascinating insight into how far electric and hydrogen technology has come.
And what the future might hold.