Volkswagen has unveiled the real-life version of the I.D. R Pikes Peak, an all-electric race car that it hopes will set a new record at the famous hillclimb in its name. The current record is 8 minutes 57.118 seconds, and was set by Rhys Millen in an e0 PP100 in 2016.
To make sure the I.D. R Pikes Peak is up to the task, there are two electric motors that provide a total system output of 680 PS (500 kW) and 650 Nm of torque. The car itself weighs less than 1,100 kg, and Volkswagen claims its creation will annihilate a Formula 1 and Formula E car in a zero to 100 km/h sprint, taking just 2.25 seconds to do so.
The motors are supplied by lithium-ion batteries that are engineered for maximum power density to deliver the highest possible power output rather than optimising range. However, Volkswagen says roughly 20% of the electric energy required is generated when traversing the near-20 km route, specifically during braking.
The man tasked with driving this machine is Romain Dumas, who will need to tackle 156 corners from the starting point at just above 9,000 feet above sea level, and finishing at 14,115 feet. He’ll only get one chance to set a new world record, and that’s if the external conditions play nice.
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- World premiere of the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak on 22nd April 2018 in Alés (F)
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I believe it can do it if the weather is good