Hyundai and Bisimoto Built an 80 MPG Ioniq for SEMA 2017

Bisimoto took Hyundai’s hybrid and turned it into an incredible 80 mile-per-gallon HyperEconiq Ioniq.

The SEMA show in Las Vegas showcases some of the most impressive concept cars from around the globe. At last year’s aftermarket event, tuner Bisimoto Engineering teamed up with Hyundai to bring forth a 1,000-horsepower Santa Fe. This year, Hyundai will be showing off an extreme off-road ready Santa Fe to follow suit. In addition to that, Hyundai will be presenting the Ioniq – something that is a bit on the greener side, thanks to another collaboration with Bisimoto.

Feast your eyes on the HyperEconiq Ioniq (see below). It may seem like a mouthful, but it was built to serve a single purpose – hypermiling. In other words, this car has a ton of tips and tricks up its sleeves that allow it to provide some unbelievable fuel economy numbers.

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The HyperEconiq Ioniq may not have horsepower numbers that’ll blow you away, but it does include some interesting technology.

You may be wondering how a tuner company created a hybrid that gives you 80 miles to the gallon. Well, Bisimoto Engineering started out with a regular Ioniq Hybrid, added a body kit that included a front splitter, side skirts, a rear wing and covers for the rear wheels. The gas-electric power train has been tweaked with new spark plugs, bespoke low-friction oil, upgraded e-generators and supercharging.

Other additions to the hybrid include extremely low-rolling resistance tires paired with special 19-inch carbon-fiber wheels.The car rides on a custom coilover suspension system that minimizes ground clearance and imp roes aerodynamic efficiency. The lightweight carbon fiber wheels help to keep unsprung mass to a minimum. These wheels actually look eerily similar to those on the aggressive-looking Shelby GT350 R.  On the inside, there is a set of Recaro racing seats to keep the driver planted and comfortable. There is also an OBD-based vehicle monitoring system to ensure all these additional are working properly.

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In a statement, Bisimoto president Bisi Ezerioha said:

"“The HyperEconiq Ioniq takes the Ioniq where we always knew it could go, without sacrificing drivability.Leveraging the outstanding Ioniq electrified platform and powertrain, we’ve focused on a variety of technical elements to bring efficiency, aero and design to the highest level.”"

According to a Cars.com testing, the normal Ioniq Hybrid averages 55 mpg, which beats out the Toyota Prius. 

Hyundai claims that with all these modifications combined, the HyperEconiq Ioniq increases that figure to more than 80 mpg; Bisimoto’s testing determined that the car has an 83-mpg figure. All we can do for now is hope that this hyper-hybrid doesn’t go unnoticed or lost among the sea of bulky muscle cars and over-the-top pickup trucks at the 2017 SEMA Show. Stay tuned for updates from the show, which runs from October 31st until November 3rd at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

See what Kelley Blue Book had to save about the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq below.

Source: CNET