Now That's Performance! KIA EV6 GT - 165MPH Extreme Thermal Test

[Ghost Ryder]

Kyle from Out of Spec really gives the EV6 GT a HARDCORE thermal test on the Autobahn and it really delivered. Even after 140MPH+ sustained on the Autobahn, with numerous 360 kW bursts of acceleration there was zero thermal derate, which is even more impressive considering it was DC fast charged (225 kW) from 0-100% immediately prior. It's the most impressive thermal performance Kyle has ever seen, even better than Porsche Taycan. Ford should pay attention to this car as a benchmark when designing their future thermal systems for sustained performance. You should be able to drive a car hard for quite a while (minutes or several laps) before noticing any sort of power reductions on a well-engineered platform.

High speed Autobahn run starts at about 14 minutes:



Key performance takeaways:

• 225 kW DCFC session immediately prior got pack hot
• 0-60% in only 15 minutes
• 414 kW / 555 HP peak motor power
• 300+ kW regen ability
• 100-150 MPH in 13 seconds
• Easily hits 165 MPH speed limiter
• 30+ minutes of high speed 130+ MPH Autobahn driving without limitation
• No noticeable power limitations until pack gets down to 25%
• Still charges at 210 kW immediately after high speed run

Kyle was only able to run into a thermal limitation after all of the above. Which is damn impressive from an engineering standpoint. Charging speeds dropped down to only 110 kW for a while, but continued without severe derate. Motor power output was limited to 230 kW / 310 HP with the thermal derate in effect, but with only about 10 minutes of rest time it was back to almost full power. It is truly a machine that just keeps going. It almost has to have liquid cooled contactors. The EV6 GT compared to the Mach-E GT is like night and day, 5 second rule vs. 30 minute rule.

They need to sell that platform to small niche coach builders. Would love to see a sports car body with that drivetrain.

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[HuntingPudel]

In Ford's defense, they never stated the length of the track.

True. The film editors did a masterful job of splicing 2-4 second long segments together in the track videos. ??

 

[Ghost Ryder]

True. The film editors did a masterful job of splicing 2-4 second long segments together in the track videos. ??

Wide camera angles, makes the car look faster than it actually is.

 

[SWO]

What does the EV6 GT do in the 1/4?

 

[Mach-Lee]

What does the EV6 GT do in the 1/4?

11.4 sec @ 121.0 MPH per MotorTrend.

vs.

12.6 sec @ 100.6 mph for Mach-E GTPE.

 

[SWO]

11.4 sec @ 121.0 MPH per MotorTrend.

vs.

12.6 sec @ 100.6 mph for Mach-E GTPE.

That's pretty good, a little faster than a M3P IIRC.

 

[mkhuffman]

Today I passed an EV6 puttering along in the right lane. Man what an ugly car. I think the Cybertruck looks better than that thing.

 

[Mach1E]

11.4 sec @ 121.0 MPH per MotorTrend.

vs.

12.6 sec @ 100.6 mph for Mach-E GTPE.

People have gotten a little faster than that for us (12.3 at 104 mph), but still it’s nowhere close.

No clue why car magazines haven’t figured out how to test electric cars. We are super sensitive to temperature and charge, but they don’t seem to care.

They do the OPPOSITE for ICE- test in ideal conditions and even adjust for Density Altitude. Usually it’s HARD to beat/match 1/4 mile times in real life with an ICE.

 

[RKinWA]

By every account except for range, the GT is an amazing vehicle. Kia did a really really good job. Next iteration of this is going to be really something.

Before I upgraded my '21 GT to the '22 GTPE, I was seriously considering an EV6. When you look at all the "best" lists, the EV6 is usually in the top 5 (many times 2 or 3) whereas the MME isn't even on most of the lists (just checked a top 20 list today and EV6 was #4, MME didn't even make the top 20). Even Consumer Reports loves the EV6, making it their top pick with a 91 score and the MME a 66.

I'm a fan of KIA, having owned 4 of them, my 2nd vehicle is a 2006 Sorento. So you would think it would be a no-brainer. But I am just not a fan of the interior (or exterior for that matter) or the tech, much like the Model Y, it's just... lacking. The MME ticks all the boxes for me; style, comfort, fun factor, etc. Every time I see one on the road it catches my attention, briefly, and then I look at mine and think "Yeah but it's just not an MME" ?

 

[johnmark]

Agreed. Sure, have fun in the track going 150+ mph but like... I don't actually care? I love the comfort of my GT and a sub-4 sec 0-60 is all the performance I need.

The MME passes the only test I care about - what it feels like in actual driving conditions. And sure, I don't like the perf or milage degradation at 80+ mph but my main concern is range reduction, which is not unique to the MME.

 

[jgcom]

I think your (Mach-Lee's) assessment is on the mark technically. When I read it I wondered about money: did the manufacturer chose to lose lots more money than Ford per car in order to deliver this special version in order to make the whole range look better?

The other question that popped into my head, one that people probably know the answer to: Is the Lightning, with the extra-cooling towing package and the Ford-made motors, capable of similarly extended non-thermally-limited duty?

 

[Jimrpa]

Kyle from Out of Spec really gives the EV6 GT a HARDCORE thermal test on the Autobahn and it really delivered. Even after 140MPH+ sustained on the Autobahn, with numerous 360 kW bursts of acceleration there was zero thermal derate, which is even more impressive considering it was DC fast charged (225 kW) from 0-100% immediately prior. It's the most impressive thermal performance Kyle has ever seen, even better than Porsche Taycan. Ford should pay attention to this car as a benchmark when designing their future thermal systems for sustained performance. You should be able to drive a car hard for quite a while (minutes or several laps) before noticing any sort of power reductions on a well-engineered platform.

High speed Autobahn run starts at about 14 minutes:



Key performance takeaways:

• 225 kW DCFC session immediately prior got pack hot
• 0-60% in only 15 minutes
• 414 kW / 555 HP peak motor power
• 300+ kW regen ability
• 100-150 MPH in 13 seconds
• Easily hits 165 MPH speed limiter
• 30+ minutes of high speed 130+ MPH Autobahn driving without limitation
• No noticeable power limitations until pack gets down to 25%
• Still charges at 210 kW immediately after high speed run

Kyle was only able to run into a thermal limitation after all of the above. Which is damn impressive from an engineering standpoint. Charging speeds dropped down to only 110 kW for a while, but continued without severe derate. Motor power output was limited to 230 kW / 310 HP with the thermal derate in effect, but with only about 10 minutes of rest time it was back to almost full power. It is truly a machine that just keeps going. It almost has to have liquid cooled contactors. The EV6 GT compared to the Mach-E GT is like night and day, 5 second rule vs. 30 minute rule.

Just how often ARE you driving 140 MPH+ with fast charging before starting out?
Designing and engineering for extreme edge cases usually means incurring significant additional development costs (and time). I’d prefer not to pay a huge premium for a car over-engineered for conditions I’ll never encounter.
Unless you think I’m going to be routinely doing 140+ MPH on the Schuylkill Expressway or the Blue Route anytime soon ???

 

[dtbaker61]

Kyle from Out of Spec really gives the EV6 GT a HARDCORE thermal test on the Autobahn and it really delivered. Even after 140MPH+ sustained on the Autobahn, with numerous 360 kW bursts of acceleration there was zero thermal derate, which is even more impressive considering it was DC fast charged (225 kW) from 0-100% immediately prior. It's the most impressive thermal performance Kyle has ever seen, even better than Porsche Taycan. Ford should pay attention to this car as a benchmark when designing their future thermal systems for sustained performance. You should be able to drive a car hard for quite a while (minutes or several laps) before noticing any sort of power reductions on a well-engineered platform.

High speed Autobahn run starts at about 14 minutes:



Key performance takeaways:

• 225 kW DCFC session immediately prior got pack hot
• 0-60% in only 15 minutes
• 414 kW / 555 HP peak motor power
• 300+ kW regen ability
• 100-150 MPH in 13 seconds
• Easily hits 165 MPH speed limiter
• 30+ minutes of high speed 130+ MPH Autobahn driving without limitation
• No noticeable power limitations until pack gets down to 25%
• Still charges at 210 kW immediately after high speed run

Kyle was only able to run into a thermal limitation after all of the above. Which is damn impressive from an engineering standpoint. Charging speeds dropped down to only 110 kW for a while, but continued without severe derate. Motor power output was limited to 230 kW / 310 HP with the thermal derate in effect, but with only about 10 minutes of rest time it was back to almost full power. It is truly a machine that just keeps going. It almost has to have liquid cooled contactors. The EV6 GT compared to the Mach-E GT is like night and day, 5 second rule vs. 30 minute rule.

impressive.

they either did some really thoughtful cooling design coupled to sensors and direct feedback, or figured that anybody who drives that hard is going to crash the car before collecting on shortened life battery warranty.

 

[dtbaker61]

They need to sell that platform to small niche coach builders. Would love to see a sports car body with that drivetrain.

re-body that thing with a lower, lighter body..... THEN you've got something to run in a Rally or AutoX !

 

[Mach-Lee]

The other question that popped into my head, one that people probably know the answer to: Is the Lightning, with the extra-cooling towing package and the Ford-made motors, capable of similarly extended non-thermally-limited duty?

Not sure, the thermal performance on the F150 Lightning is more about towing than top speed. But Ford spent extra time re-designing the motors for better thermal performance, so I'd say the Lightning would be decent in that kind of test. Still much better than the Mach-E.

Just how often ARE you driving 140 MPH+ with fast charging before starting out?
Designing and engineering for extreme edge cases usually means incurring significant additional development costs (and time). I’d prefer not to pay a huge premium for a car over-engineered for conditions I’ll never encounter.
Unless you think I’m going to be routinely doing 140+ MPH on the Schuylkill Expressway or the Blue Route anytime soon ???

The top speed in the performance segment is 140+ MPH, the Mach-E GT comes in short at only 124 MPH. The thermal performance of the KIA is orders of magnitude better than the GTPE, which is nuts. When you compare similar cars from different brands, you normally don't run into something that is orders of magnitude better in one brand vs. another. That's like finding a gas tank that only goes 50 miles in one car vs 500 miles in another. Which is a "what the hell were they thinking" moment.

Even though most people don't need to drive 140 MPH, a sizable thermal limit kicking in after only 5 seconds vs. minutes in most other EVs is a huge engineering fail. Ford needs to make all future EVs handle at least a 1/4 mile of full acceleration before any thermal derates occur. Anything less is under-designed IMO. The other EV brands can do that just fine, why can't Ford?

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