So whatever the shoebox loses to the Porsche in the corners, it makes up with Thor’s Hammer acceleration off every turn. I’ve experienced this shocking performance before — albeit from the passenger seat of Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Transit SuperVan 4.0 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, another e-Kong in a box. Imagine what these drivetrains could do in a proper, low-center-of-gravity sportscar.

I have tracked my Tesla Model 3 Performance and crave its instant, AWD torque. But the 3 Performance is not optimized for track use, and its Brembo brakes will cook after six laps around Pontiac’s 1.5-mile M1 Concourse. I hammered the 5 N for 26 miles around Laguna’s 2.2-mile rollercoaster (12 laps) with no brake fade. Indeed, Model 3s outfitted with properly tuned aftermarket brakes from Unplugged Performance have recorded similar track times to the 5 N despite giving up 100 pound-feet of torque and 150 horsepower. The future of electric performance is bright.

But ... tracking an EV at hyper speeds comes with the same compromises of any EV: namely, range.

The Ioniq 5 N’s 84 kWh battery holds just 221 miles of range, and I sucked down nearly half of that over my 20-minute session around Laguna. Oof. That’s about four miles off the battery for every mile on the odometer (0.8 kW/per mile), which is at least better than my Tesla’s 6:1 ratio since the Model 3 hasn’t undergone the extensive aero-and-heat management intervention engineers administered to the Ioniq bot. Around two 14-mile laps (28 miles total) of the Nurburgring and its extended, full-throttle straightaways, Hyundai says I5N drank over half the battery.

Travel to Laguna from, say, Silicon Valley 80 miles to the north, you’ll need to plan multiple fast charger visits to get laps on a track day.

As California bans new gas car sales over the next few years (and likely makes it hard to use older, internal-combustion cars with increased taxes and geographical bans), will Laguna nix gas racing? Figuring out how to charge at racetracks will be a priority. Some tracks, Laguna included, have already installed Tesla Superchargers due to the volume of Tesla enthusiasts who track their steeds.

Our Hyundai track day was supported by a Mullen natural gas fast charger, which topped up the Hyundai between four media track sessions. Mullen’s charger (and similar generators) tend to be prohibitively expensive for non-corporate events.

My track day pals own Mustang and Corvette muscle cars — or Subaru WRX and Civic Type R pocket rockets — and don’t suffer charging inconvenience. Gas refueling takes minutes and you can bring gas to the track. If you live in Metro Detroit and commute to either rural Gingerman or Grattan racetracks, you’re looking at 350-mile round trips with limited fast charger support nearby.

Muscle car enthusiasts may pass — waiting for the coming V8-simulation of Dodge’s Charger Banshee EV that, like the I5N, has a useful hatchback for hauling tires to the track. I found the I5N’s fake-ICE sound remarkably realistic on track laps — including the ability to shift through multiple gears (with rev matching) just like a gas car.

Unlike a petrol car, however, the so-called GRIN SHIFT option won’t make you faster. Single-speed, uninterrupted electric torque is the quick way ‘round. Want to go even quicker? Press the N-boost button for an extra 40 horsepower when you want it.

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