Watch and listen as Hyundai completes first Veloster N ETCR test

After Hyundai introduced its first electric race car at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the South Korean carmaker just concluded the first two-day test of the battery electric Veloster N ETCR at the Hungaroring circuit. The track already features in the World and European Touring Car Cup series, giving Hyundai relevant performance metrics as the motorsports division prepares for the inaugural ETCR series in 2020. This first shakedown was to assess chassis balance, as well as the performance and efficiency of the mid-mounted battery and electric motor. 

Hyundai is the second manufacturer to have built a car to ETCR standards, the first being Seat with its Cupra-based e-Racer. The series’ technical details are still dribbling out, but series overseer WSC will provide a common 65-kWh battery pack, and Williams Advanced Engineering will supply a common motor, gearbox, and inverter for all entries. Power will run to the rear wheels through a single-gear transmission.

In March 2018, when Seat debuted the e-Racer at the Geneva Motor Show, Autosport reported that the four-door hatch contained two motors that could produce a combined 500-kW of peak power (670 hp) at 12,000 rpm, and a continuous 300 kW (402 hp).

The ETCR cars will mimic the chassis formula for the TCR’s ICE cars, meaning a four- or five-door reinforced production bodyshell and a common front splitter and rear wing. The only exception is the Audi TT, which the organizers granted entry into the standard Touring Car Cup. Beyond electrics, the primary difference between the series powered by 2.0-liter engines and by batteries is that manufacturer entries aren’t allowed in the regular TCR field. The cost of EV development makes it likely that only manufacturers will be on the line next year to race the ETCR. 

Hyundai says it plans to use the ETCR to “help drive development of future high-performance electric car designs.” Add that to the Hyundai Group’s investment in Rimac, and it’s possible Hyundai could impress us with some wicked, whispering thing soon.