Hyundai has taken its IONIQ 5 N to radical new heights by turning the high-performance EV into a purpose-built race car ready to tackle the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. But don’t let the name fool you: this version is a far cry from the street-legal vehicle you see at the dealership.
Built by Evasive Motorsports, a California-based tuning powerhouse, the IONIQ 5 N has shed more than 500 pounds thanks to extensive use of lightweight materials like carbon fiber, including all-new door panels. Inside, it’s been stripped to the bare essentials: racing seats, minimal controls, and a fully race-focused cabin.
But the real story isn’t just about what’s been removed, it’s about why this car was built. Hyundai and Evasive are using the brutal climb to 14,000 feet as a high-stakes engineering testbed, putting the EV through punishing real-world conditions to evaluate battery performance, heat management, braking reliability, and aerodynamic balance under extreme pressure.
The car runs on Titan 7 slick tires and features a full Voltex aero kit for serious downforce on high-speed mountain sections. The custom suspension setup is tuned to handle the rough terrain and dramatic elevation changes, while upgraded brakes and cooling systems ensure it can take the heat—literally. Behind the wheel is seasoned racer Rob Walker, who last competed at Pikes Peak in 2022 with a modified Tesla Model 3. Lessons from that effort have directly influenced the build of this new Ioniq 5 N race car.
No HP figures or lap simulations have been revealed, but the goal is crystal clear: break the 10-minute barrier, a feat achieved by only a select few electric race cars, especially those based on production models.
This isn’t a concept or a teaser for a future vehicle. It’s a current-gen IONIQ 5 N, reimagined for a single, intense mission. While it won’t hit showroom floors, the insights gained from this run could shape how Hyundai designs and fine-tunes performance EVs moving forward.
