Hyundai’s been on a roll lately with both their EVs and their N performance division. It’s about time we get to see some convergence between the two and to showcase a bright, bold future for electric sports cars, Hyundai showed off their new ‘Rolling Lab’. So-called the RN24, it is by far the most unique-looking concept I’ve ever seen, with Hyundai chucking the innards of their IONIQ 5 N into an exoskeleton inspired by their World Rally Championship (WRC) cars. The goal of the Hyundai RN24 is to preview the concept of a compact, lightweight electric performance car of the future. Plus, the tech in here is something we might be able to experience soon.
If you look underneath that cool skeletal roll cage, the RN24 has the exact same powertrain as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. This means it has two electric motors, delivering a combined output of 650PS. While the RN24 still keeps the IONIQ 5 N’s 84kWh battery pack, Hyundai has been able to shorten the wheelbase down to 2,660mm. This pretty much rivals smaller compact cars, and with a relatively lightweight package overall, the RN24 looks rather nimble and fast to drive. If you give it enough throttle, the RN24 sprints from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds, and onto a top speed of 240km/h. Blisteringly quick enough, the RN24 even has some rally car roots.
An Electric Rally Car With An Attitude
You might’ve spotted a lot of rally car DNA with the RN24, all the way down to the chassis. The Hyundai RN24 has WRC-style suspension, including rally-spec dampers and some superbly rigid subframes. You’ll also find what Hyundai calls the ‘WRC Powertrain Drive Control Logic’, as this allows you to adjust and tweak the powertrain, and acceleration sensitivity, and from here, you can even fiddle about with the RN24’s regenerative brakes. Additionally, you can even fine-tune the power balance through buttons on the steering wheel, itself pretty much taken from the actual Hyundai i20 N Rally 1’s hybrid system. The RN24 doesn’t just look like a rally car, either.
With a super-fast steering set-up, the Hyundai RN24 ought to drive like a proper rally car, with otherworldly sharp response, as well as maximum agility and precision for racing. While there are no plans to take the RN24 racing – it’s just a concept and an experimental rolling lab – the folks at Hyundai are pretty serious about putting their best foot forward with this one. There’s even a ‘boost’ function with the powertrain, which could increase the 175 kW + 303 kW power output for when you need it. However, being an EV and having to lug around a large battery pack, the RN24 does weigh quite a bit, tipping the scales at an estimated 1,880kg.
A New-Age Race Car For The Future
Meanwhile, some other rally-inspired features that you might’ve seen include the handbrake. Or, more specifically, an e-handbrake, which eliminates the need for an old-school handbrake, and it should save a bit of weight, as well. Elsewhere, the Hyundai RN24 comes with a special Rally mode, allowing you to electronically control the motors’ torque distribution. This should offer you a bit more traction on different surfaces, and for rally racing, it might even save you some precious time. The most visually eye-catching element of the RN24 – its exoskeleton roll cage – does have a real function besides just looking like it came from a sci-fi movie.
During high-speed driving, this exoskeleton helps to improve the RN24’s rigidity and stability, and if you look further back, you might’ve also spotted that huge rear wing. Once again, with Hyundai taking bits and pieces across their motorsports endeavours, the RN24’s rear wing is taken from Hyundai’s Touring Car Racing (TCR) programme, made to enhance its high-speed stability and provide downforce. There are tonnes of innovative tech in here too, like using 3D printing to maximise rigidity, while also reducing weight. If this is what Hyundai envisions the future of electric performance cars to be, then I’d say it’s a bright future to look forward to!
