Pedal to metal at Hyundai’s brutal desert test track

Hyundai tests EVs and SUVs at its Mojave Desert proving grounds, contributing to the brand's success in the U.S. market. We head to the desert to learn more.

Hyundai Motor and Kia cars under performance tests at California Proving Grounds in California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

CALIFORNIA CITY — About a two-hour ride from Las Vegas, sits Mojave Desert, the largest desert in California.

Driving one more hour through the vast desert, camouflaged Hyundai Motor EVs and SUVs were being tested at its 17.7 million-square-meter (190.5-million-square feet) California Proving Grounds, where all Hyundai and Kia cars must be examined before hitting the North American roads.

It’s the “most suitable ground to test vehicles in extreme conditions,” in Hyundai’s words, with the average temperature staying at 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), going up to 54 degrees Celsius in summer and dropping to zero degrees in winter.

Hyundai and Kia cars on a circuit [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor and Kia cars under performance tests at Hyundai's California Proving Grounds, California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

“We test cars on various major areas including off-road driving, safety and cars’ functions based on U.S. regulations at Mojave proving grounds,” said Lee Sung-yop, vice president at Hyundai America Technical Center during a recent media tour.

Taking on the wheels of a Sorento SUV on a four-kilometer off-road track, which was full of holes and bumpy roads, the car smoothly passed the section without any big shakes.

There was gravel and sand everywhere, but the car was not agitated by the road conditions, leaving this reporter without any motion sickness at all.

The Mojave proving grounds now have seven off-road tracks, from just one in the beginning, and is planning to have more in the future.

Lee Sung-yop, vice president at Hyundai America Technical Center, speaks to the Korean press at Hyundai's California Proving Grounds, California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

“SUVs account for 60 percent of our sales in the North American market while 20 percent are for pick-up trucks, which means testing on off-road driving is essential,” Lee said.

The track comes with 12 test sites including a 10.2-kilometer high-speed circuit and a 5.3-kilometer course to evaluate the powertrain. More than 300 cars are examined at the proving grounds every day.

This reporter then switched seats to the Genesis GV70 to run the high-speed circuit — an EV with a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour.

Hyundai Motor and Kia cars under performance tests at Hyundai's California Proving Grounds, California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Sharp curves and steep hills were not enough to stop the EV, with the cornering and handling being unexpectedly smooth and gentle.

Making circular turns and pressing brake pedals to their maximum made this reporter feel like the main character from “Fast & Furious."

Every car must run more than 30,000 miles or more than 4,000 laps of the circuit to pass the test.

“EVs weigh over 400 kilograms more than gasoline cars, which require various running and heat control tests,” Lee said.

Hyundai Motor and Kia cars under performance tests at Hyundai's California Proving Grounds, California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai mainly conducts tests on days with over 45 degrees Celsius and solar radiation that has an intensity of more than 1,000 watts per square meter.

When testing the latest Ioniq 5N, a high-performance model based on the Ioniq 5, it was a very important criterion to make the car’s temperature exceed 60 degrees, Hyundai said.

Opened in 2005, the Mojave grounds are the No. 2 proving grounds in terms of size and performance in North America, with the location only a two-hour drive from Los Angeles compared to other big three U.S. automakers who all have their grounds in Michigan. Hyundai invested 80 billion won ($60.9 million) for the construction.

Hyundai attributes the Mojave proving grounds for its latest success in the U.S. market.

Hyundai Motor and Kia were the fourth-largest car-making group in the United States last year, beating Stellantis for the first time in its history.

The carmakers sold a record 1.65 million cars in the U.S. market last year, up 12.1 percent on year. It's the first time their combined sales exceeded 1.5 million.

Kia Telluride SUV under a performance test at Hyundai's California Proving Grounds, California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]