IONIQ 5 owner observations: build a trip energy reserve

Two journeys can suggest a useful planning range without constituting a controlled vehicle test. This worksheet turns the owner observations already published by WattCalc Lab into an explicit energy budget. Your capacity, distance and charge window are separate assumptions.

Written by Tomas Baranauskas · 2026-10-13

Reported observations and missing evidence

Tomas Baranauskas reports driving a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 AWD. His reported colder-weather consumption is about 28 kWh/100 km at 2–7°C and around 120 km/h; a warmer-weather observation is 22.2 kWh/100 km at about 27°C. The warmer journey’s speed is not recorded. These are self-reported trip-display observations, not independently instrumented measurements. Raw logs, exact distances, wind, tyres and cabin settings are not available here. The observations cannot isolate temperature as the cause.

The 26.1% consumption increase does not mean a 26.1% range decrease. At identical available energy, range is inversely proportional to consumption: 22.2 / 28 gives 79.3% of the lower-consumption range, or about 20.7% less. A hypothetical 250 km leg needs 55.5 or 70 kWh at the two rates. That 14.5 kWh difference may change a charging-stop decision even when the vehicle and starting percentage are identical.

Compare your route

Enter usable capacity from documentation applicable to your exact vehicle, or your own explicitly chosen estimate. Do not copy a gross pack label into this field. Capacity starts blank deliberately. The 250 km distance and 90% start / 10% reserve are examples you can replace. Rate A and rate B start at the two owner observations; edit both when you have comparable records for your vehicle.

The worksheet runs in your browser. Inputs are not sent to a server or saved automatically. The CSV download records your inputs, calculation assumptions and both results; it is a scenario record, not a measured journey log.

Read the result before deciding

A positive buffer means the simplified energy budget leaves that much above your chosen arrival reserve. A negative buffer is a shortfall: the assumed leg cannot be completed while preserving that reserve. It is not permission to drive to zero charge. Charger detours, weather changes, elevation, battery temperature and auxiliary use can change the outcome. The worksheet assumes constant consumption and accessible energy proportional to charge percentage; it does not predict the vehicle’s exact battery management behaviour.

Available energy = capacity × (start − reserve) / 100. Required = distance × consumption / 100. Buffer = available − required. Maximum leg = available × 100 / consumption.

A worked reserve example

For a deliberately hypothetical 70 kWh usable battery, 90% start and 10% reserve allow 56 kWh for the leg. At 22.2 kWh/100 km, 250 km uses 55.5 kWh and leaves only 0.5 kWh above reserve. At 28, it uses 70 kWh and is short by 14 kWh. Maximum legs before the chosen reserve are about 252.3 and 200 km. The 70 kWh capacity is an example, not a specification claim for Tomas’ car. A 0.5 kWh margin is too small to treat this arithmetic as a reliable real-world route plan.

Build a stronger journey record

For future evidence, log journey date, kilometres, displayed kWh/100 km, starting and ending charge, temperature and average speed. Note wind, rain, tyres, towing and cabin use when known. Mark missing conditions as unknown rather than filling them from memory. Group comparable trips, then weight the average by distance: sum(distance × consumption) / sum(distance). A 20 km trip at 30 and a 180 km trip at 20 give 21 kWh/100 km, not the equal-trip average of 25. Keep trip-display consumption separate from charger-meter energy; charging losses belong in a billing comparison.