Hyundai Reveals Latest 'Rolling Lab' - It's a Barebones High-Performance EV Called RN24

However, we're pretty sure that even the wackiest of Hyundai N's corner office head honchos wouldn't approve a car with just a roll cage on it for street use. On the other hand, coming from the N Vision 74, which is an earlier rolling lab, you could say that Hyundai topped that creation by moving sideways (both literally and figuratively) instead of going forward.

The annual 'N Day' event is supposed to show the South Korean automaker's "relentless innovation and commitment to excel in high-performance, motorsport-proven technologies, especially for EVs." Aside from the N Vision 74, we can all remember that other 'rolling labs' were also the RN22e, for example, so RN24 is basically just a continuation of their vision.

The whole shebang can be explained pretty simply – Hyundai's N engineers wanted to put the most powerful EV motor inside the smallest package physically possible, and when the designers tried to reason with them, the engineers just locked them out, most likely. Yep, we're getting full mad scientist vibes here, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As such, Hyundai N packaged its most powerful motorsport-capable 478 kW (64 hp) dual-motor power electronics (PE) system. The chassis, which is basically just a structure with some body panels and the necessary roll cage, is a compact World Rally Championship-inspired EV setup. And if you think they invented a new PE for this application, you're wrong – this system is used for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N via the E-GMP platform.

Alas, they did redesign the battery pack to keep the 84-kWh capacity of the production model, but now the car has a much shorter wheelbase by 340 mm, shrinking to a subcompact size – about the same as Hyundai Motor's i20 N Rally1 Hybrid World Rally Championship (WRC) entry. There's also a WRC-style suspension setup, a WRC Powertrain Drive Control Logic system, a louder sound system than Ioniq 5 N's N Active Sound+, Rally Mode, and even an e-Handbrake, also inspired by WRC.

"RN24 exemplifies Hyundai N's commitment to advancing electric motorsport technology by prioritizing the driving experience rather than spec numbers," said Joon Park, Vice President of N Brand Management Group. "This Rolling Lab proves that there remains untapped potential for high-performance EVs, and with new technologies ahead, there is much to look forward to."

Weight is 1,880 kg (4,145 lbs.), which is probably mostly due to the batteries and other EV systems rather than the body, and the estimated performance figures – when the RN24 doesn't go sideways or for another burnout – are zero to 62 mph (100 kph) in less than 3.4s and a top speed of 240 kph (149 mph).