An exclusive drive of Hyundai's track-only EV racer

Hyundai has big plans for getting more EVs on more racetracks worldwide.

Few manufacturers are taking electrification as seriously as Hyundai, and if you widen the focus to include the entire Hyundai Group fam, nobody else offers a broader portfolio of attainable options, ranging from the Kona EV to the three-row Kia EV9 SUV.

Most of those are mass-market offerings, fun to look at but not necessarily the most exciting to drive. Thankfully, Hyundai's rowdy N brand is leaning in on the enthusiast angle. I drove the Ioniq 5 N last year in Korea and was pretty blown away by just how eager to play the thing was, especially given its somewhat humble crossover SUV origins.

Now, Hyundai's dialing it up to 11 with a track-only flavor. It's called the Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup car, a big-winged, gutted version of the 5 N that weighs 500 pounds less than the street car.

It isn't a toy. Hyundai is taking the thing racing, just the beginning of its plans for boosting EV track-day access, including installing chargers at tracks that will be free for use by N owners.

For all the details on that and more, check out my in-depth write-up on the car over at Road & Track, including detailed impressions of the car and its future that you won't find anywhere else. Then, if you want to ride along, check out the video below.

The car is great, but it's really the potential that has me excited. Practical EV track days coming soon?