A former BMW engineer explains how he made a Hyundai EV feel like a “real” sports car

The engineer explains how recreating a vital component made all the difference.

Jun 7, 2024 - 10:30

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A former BMW engineer explains how he made a Hyundai EV feel like a “real” sports car

To many auto enthusiasts, "high-performance electric car" is an oxymoron like 'jumbo shrimp,' 'humble brag' or 'open secret.'

Despite this assumption, cars like the Tesla Model S Plaid, the Lucid Air Sapphire and the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT have set performance benchmarks, or broken barriers when it comes to speed.

However, for BMW M founder and current Hyundai N advisor Albert Biermann, making a car that goes fast and sets lap record times is simply not enough — his vehicles require drivers to have fun and feel something.

In a conversation with YouTuber Parker Nirenstein of Vehicle Virgins, Biermann explained his philosophy behind the engineering of some of the legendary performance cars he had a hand in, including BMW's M3 and M5, as well as models under Hyundai's (HYMTF) N-line of performance cars.

Biermann talked in-depth about his role in developing Hyundai's IONIQ 5 N, a $67,475 machine that produces 601 hp and 545 pound-feet of torque through all four wheels.

Though this vehicle is capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, the speed and acceleration is irrelevant to him; he seeks something other than just breakneck speed in a car designed for driving fun.

"The only target throughout the whole development is always good feedback, approachable, have a good confidence feel when you push a car, the car needs to talk to you strongly and you should enjoy pushing it to the limit," Biermann said.

"That is always the most important thing: controllability. When we develop the engines, I don't care for the maximum horsepower, it's meaningless."

How to engineer a (fake) F1-style gearbox

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N at the New York International Auto Show
James Ochoa

According to the former BMW engineer, the IONIQ 5 N presented new opportunities in car performance.

But as a battery-electric car, the IONIQ 5 N lacks some critical parts that traditional gas-powered cars have; presenting some limitations to what can be done to make the car physically faster. However, he did find a way to make the IONIQ feel faster — by giving it a "gearbox."

Typically, EVs do not have gearboxes. The electric architecture virtually eliminates the need for one, but Hyundai insisted on one anyway. The automaker calls it "N e-shift;" a virtual program that simulates the gear shifts of an paddle-shifted, eight speed dual-clutch automatic that is typically found in a gas-powered car.

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However, when developing the feature for the car, Biermann noted that he had to get Hyundai engineers out of what he sees as bad habits.

"When you develop a double clutch transmission, you go for fast shifting. You don't want to lose a 10th of a second through the shifting. But on a one-gear EV like we have, that is meaningless because the non-shifting car is always the fastest."

A notable characteristic that drivers feel in manual transmission, or "stick-shift" cars is a 'jolt;' a sudden burst in power that takes place when a car advances to the next gear. For Biermann, having that 'jolt' was critical.

"When our engineer started to present me the first virtual gearshift, there was not a strong shifting jolt," Biermann said. "I told them, Hey, where is all the jolt gone? Oh, yeah. If we do like this, the car is so and so much faster. I said, That's not the point."

"Why would you care about the acceleration? It's all about fun."

Enthusiasts agree

In a review for InsideEVs, Mack Hogan admitted that when he first heard about the "fake gearbox," he thought that Hyundai would have messed it all up. However, he found it to be quite the opposite; finding it to be very effective on the track.

"If your goal is ultimate speed, it's foolish to impose ICE limits on the superior powerband of an electric motor. But it forced me to be aware of my speed," Hogan said.

"With e-Shift enabled, though, I slowly learned my braking zones, my cornering speeds and my best high-speed lines, all using the reference point of what "gear" I was in and how high the "revs" were."

In a recent video titled "The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Manual Mode Changes Performance EVs Forever," YouTube automotive authority Doug DeMuro argued that the simulated shifting that Biermann had a hand in is a total game-changer.

"The feel of the shifts; you would absolutely think [the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N] is a gas-powered car," DeMuro said. "This sounds kind of like a gimmick, like it's shifting while it's driving, but it's electric. But it's amazing, and in my opinion, amazing. It totally brings back some of the fun that's lost when you have an EV."

Additionally, this feature keeps him confident for the future of performance cars in an era of EVs.

"This has me less worried about the EV revolution," DeMuro said. "For the very first time since 2012, I'm sitting here thinking 'Ok, this is something that I as an enthusiast could get behind, could purchase, could own, could use because it now feels like I'm engaging with the car in a way that other electric vehicles have basically kind of removed you from. It's really amazing."

Hyundai Motor Company, trading under HYMTF on OTC markets is up 0.5% today, trading at $56.78 per share.