Laugh all you want, but EVs aren’t just ready to take over the streets, but also the world’s track and rally stages; from Ken Block’s electric rallye Ford Fiesta, to Formula E, to Hyundai’s hip-shattering RM20e.
Yes, Hyundai developed and built a race-ready EV that goes like hell.
What is the RM20e?
On its full name the Hyundai RM20e Racing Midship Sports Car, this is Hyundai’s first foray into the high-performance all-electric racing. RM, therefore, stands for Racing Midship - the e-motor is mid-mounted and sends all the power to the rear axle.
Also, we’re told Croatian electric supercar maker Rimac was heavily involved in the project. Which is somehow natural, given the $90 million Hyundai and Kia invested in Rimac in 2019.
OK, now tell me about the juicy stuff
Right.
On top of that, torque’s rated at a bone-crushing 960 Newton-meters (708 pound-feet of twist). Hyundai says it expects the RM20e to zap from naught to 62 mph (100 kph) in under three seconds and from zero to 124 mph (200 kph) in a tad under 9.9 seconds.
To keep that sort of performance in check while harnessing it efficiently at the same time, Hyundai went for a wild-looking body kit that includes a huge rear diffuser, a towering fixed rear wing, and wider fender flares.
The donor car was actually the Veloster N, but it received quite a long list of mods to accompany the all-electric powertrain, including a single reduction-ratio (1:5.67) gearbox.
We don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to see the RM20e in action. See the table below for more specs.
Hyundai N RM20e |
Body |
Two doors, two seats, aluminum front subframe + steel tube and plate rear subframe |
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Powertrain layout |
Midship motor, rear drive electric axle |
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Motor |
596 kW (800 hp) and 708 lb-ft of torque |
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Gearbox |
Single reduction, ratio 1:5.67 |
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Battery |
60 kWh, liquid cooled, 800V fast-charging |
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Top speed |
Over 250 kph (155 mph) |
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ABS |
Motorsport M5 ABS from Bosch |
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Size |
4319 mm x 1945 mm x 1354 mm, 2672 mm wheelbase |
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Seats |
Sabelt, 6-point harness |
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Ground clearance (minimum) |
80 mm |