PUSHING BOUNDARIES: PART I

Finding out how the Hyundai IONIQ 5 performs at India's hottest border

- ABHAY VERMA

EVs are not the future anymore. Puzzled? Well, that's because they are the present already! The rise of electric cars, especially over the past half decade, has been meteoric. They're here and are changing the way we perceive automobiles and the way we live with them, for the better. And the IONIQ 5, Hyundai's latest EV to hit our shores, is nothing short of setting benchmarks in the premium EV space, looking at its ICE-powered rivals in the eye with its futuristic design, technology, performance and so much more! With an ARAI-certified range of 631km, the IONIQ 5's range per charge is also among the highest, making it apt for a long distance trip. And with everyone talking about roadtripping in EVS these days, we just had to hit the road with the IONIQ 5. With a difference, of course.

We decided to take the IONIQ 5 to Longewala in Rajasthan. Why, you ask? For starters, Rajasthan is home to some of the best driving roads in India and a drive across the state, in the 217PS and 350Nm IONIQ 5, does sound like the perfect recipe for a good road trip. That's not exactly why I headed there though. The Longewala border in Rajasthan is steeped in history and a place I've never had  the opportunity to visit. To add to that, May is the hottest time of the year there, as summers are at their absolute peak - temperatures at Longewala hit a staggering 50 degrees Celsius and above! With surface temperatures well above 60 degree Celsius, the searing heat during the day could make the tarmac melt! How's that for a challenge for an EV?