Hyundai Ioniq Electric gets bigger battery pack, faster charging

Range should increase to nearly 170 miles in the US.

Hyundai is already preparing another round of upgrades for the Ioniq Electric.

The revised EV will be equipped with a 38.3 kWh lithium-polymer battery, up from the current model's 28-kWh module. With 36 percent more energy storage capacity, the new battery will likely push EPA-rated range from 124 miles to nearly 170 miles, though the company has not yet stated an estimated EPA range for the US market.

Complementing the bigger battery, the Ioniq Electric will also receive a new charging system that will allow the pack to be filled to 80 percent in as few as 54 minutes on a 100-kW fast-charging station.

Hyundai has sold more than 60,000 vehicles in the Ioniq range since its launch in 2016. The Ioniq Electric faces increasing competition from longer-range EVs, however.