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Lee Young-Heum, a salesman based in South Korea, has driven his Hyundai Ioniq 5 for nearly three years with a daily average of 586 kilometres.
A Hyundai Ioniq 5 in South Korea has reached 5,80,000 km on its original battery, retaining 87.7% health.
As electric vehicle (EV) technology matures, real-world stories are increasingly challenging long-held apprehensions about battery life and long-distance dependability. A striking example has emerged from South Korea, where a Hyundai Ioniq 5 has clocked an extraordinary 5.8 lakh kilometres – all while running on its original battery pack.
Lee Young-Heum, a salesman based in South Korea, has driven his Hyundai Ioniq 5 for nearly three years with a daily average of 586 kilometres. What makes this feat remarkable is not just the mileage, but the condition of the battery and drivetrain: there were no reported issues throughout the journey, despite heavy use and frequent fast charging.
Hyundai-Kia’s research division took notice of the feat and offered Lee a complimentary replacement of both the battery pack and electric motor. Their goal was to retrieve and test the original components in a lab setting to study the wear and degradation under real-world conditions. At the time of the offer, the car’s odometer read 5.8 lakh kilometres – a figure typically seen on commercial taxi fleets, not private vehicles.
Engineers were stunned to find that the battery pack retained 87.7% of its original health, suggesting only minimal degradation despite the high mileage. Such durability significantly shifts the narrative around EVs, where concerns like “range anxiety” and costly battery replacements have historically deterred buyers.
Routine examination of old EV components has become an essential part of R&D, providing insight into how batteries and powertrains perform outside controlled testing environments. According to Hyundai, this data will inform future iterations of EV design and help validate long-term reliability models.
Financially, the Ioniq 5 has also proven to be a winner. With the odometer now reading around 6.6 lakh kilometres, Lee estimates that his total electricity expenditure sits around Rs 30.36 lakh.
In comparison, covering the same distance in a petrol-powered Hyundai Tucson with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine would have cost approximately Rs 48.56 lakh. The difference amounts to savings of Rs 18.20 lakh – an undeniable advantage in favour of electric mobility.
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