Volkswagen’s all-electric racing car, the ID R Pikes Peak has not only broken the previous record on the iconic hill climb route for electric vehicles, but also beat the all-time record (set by Sébastien Loeb in 2013) by 16 seconds. The ID R Pikes Peak, driven by Romain Dumas, recorded a time of 7m 57.148s.
“The ID R Pikes Peak is the sporty forerunner of Volkswagen’s ID family. Today, we saw what this technology is capable of,” said Dr Frank Welsch, member of the board of management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility for technical development.
“Every Volkswagen employee can be extremely proud of today’s result. I congratulate the team from the bottom of my heart. With a combination of outstanding engineering skills, passion and commitment, the team has managed to create a fantastic racing car in just eight months.
“The ID R Pikes Peak has now set the fastest time in the history of this hill climb, which spans more than 100 years – that speaks volumes for electric mobility.”
The ID R Pikes Peak was specifically tailored to the demands of the famous hill climb – a combination of minimum weight, as much downforce as possible, and maximum power. Including its battery cells, the car weighs less than 1,100kg. When evaluating performance, Volkswagen employed simulation software to calculate exactly how to achieve the optimum in energy demand and performance for the record attempt on Pikes Peak.
“We exceeded even our own high expectations with that result,” said driver Dumas. “Since this week’s tests, we have known that it was possible to break the all-time record. For it to come off, everything had to come together perfectly – from the technology to the driver. And the weather had to play ball too.
“That everything ran so smoothly is an incredible feeling, and the new record on Pikes Peak is the icing on the cake. I still cannot believe that Volkswagen and my name are behind this incredible time. The ID R Pikes Peak is the most impressive car I have ever driven in competition.
“The electric drivetrain means that many things are different and I learned a lot during the project. The team did an indescribably meticulous, yet at the same time relaxed, job. Not only did we get the desired result, but the team spirit was also spot on. I am incredibly proud to have been a part of it.”
