His Hyundai Ioniq 5 Battery Still Held 88% After 360,000 Miles

Battery degradation is a serious concern and one that can cost owners dearly. While pricing varies by model and capacity, a new battery pack can cost tens of thousands of dollars. That’s what makes Lee Young-Heum’s Hyundai Ioniq 5 so interesting. He worked as a traveling salesman and racked up some serious mileage. In 2 years and 9 months, he’d traveled 360,395 miles (580,000 km) in the EV.

More: Hyundai Ioniq 5 Owner Hits 414,000 Miles, Gets Free Battery Swap After 360,000 Miles

This caught the attention of the Hyundai-Kia Research Institute, which wanted to examine how the battery and powertrain were holding up. While Lee reportedly didn’t have any problems, the company replaced his battery and motor free of charge, so they could look at the used components.

This examination revealed that after traveling such a massive distance – more than what separates the earth from the moon – the battery’s state of health was 87.7%. That’s an impressive number, especially when you consider that Lee used rapid charging, which is “known to put a huge burden on electric vehicle batteries.”

As Hyundai’s Yoon Dal-Young explained, “When developing a battery, we need to create a prediction model for durability performance and check whether this model matches actual usage results. That’s why we have actually checked the batteries of customer vehicles with high cumulative mileage.” The automaker typically uses taxis for these examinations, but Lee’s car had the highest mileage they had seen on an Ioniq 5.

Maintenance And Fuel Savings Are Huge

Lee said that when he drove a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, he’d get the oil changed every 15 days due to driving so much. Despite this regular maintenance, he had to replace engine and powertrain components “continuously.”

He says that’s not the case with the Ioniq 5 as he’s only had to replace “the most basic consumables.” The automaker noted at 410,105 miles (660,000 km), he would have had to have 66 oil changes, 8 spark plug replacements, 13 brake fluid changes, and 11 transmission oil changes on a Tucson. That’s on top of wear and tear.

Hyundai estimates this maintenance would cost $8,612 to $9,330 (₩12 to ₩13 million). The estimated price tag for the Ioniq 5 is significantly less at $1,076 (₩1.5 million).

Lee also saved a boatload in refueling costs as Hyundai estimated a turbocharged 1.6-liter Tucson would have required around $57,412 (₩80 million) worth of fuel. That stands in stark contrast to an estimated charging cost of around $35,882 (₩50 million). We’ll do the math for you and note that’s a savings of $21,530 (₩30 million).

Besides saving a ton of money, the Ioniq 5 was largely trouble free. However, after 403,891 miles (650,000 km) the car stopped slow charging. This was reportedly because the on board charger had reached the end of its lifespan and “died a ‘natural death.’”

The car still appears to be going strong and has over 416,940 miles (671,000 km) on the odometer. However, it’s getting a much-needed break as Lee recently switched jobs and will now be driving less.

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