Volkswagen has revealed the final version of its I.D. R Pikes Peak race car, which will take on the world-renowned hill climb in June.
Fitted with two electric motors to produce a combined 670bhp and 650Nm of torque, the I.D. R accelerates to 60mph faster than any Formula One or Formula E car, despite weighing 1,100kg.
The all-electric racer will be driven up the 20km road by Frenchman and defending Pikes Peak champion Romain Dumas, who will aim to beat the current electric car record that is set at 8:57.118.
With 156 corners, 1,440 metres of vertical climbing and a start point at 2,862 metres, the Pikes Peak course in Colorado is one of the most gruelling hill climbs and will push the all-electric I.D. R to the max.
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Dr. Frank Welsch, Volkswagen board member responsible for development, said: “Volkswagen’s goal is to reach the pinnacle of electromobility with the I.D. family. As such, Volkswagen’s involvement on Pikes Peak not only sets the trend for our future in motorsport, but is also of great symbolic significance in the truest sense.
“Customers have always benefitted from the findings made in motorsport, and we expect to take these findings and use them as a valuable impetus for the development of future I.D. models. The hill climb on Pikes Peak will definitely be a real acid test for the electric drive.”
The I.D. R is the final part of the I.D. family, which includes the standard hatchback, the I.D. Buzz MPV, the I.D. Crozz crossover and I.D. Vizzion autonomous saloon – with the first of those to be in production by 2019.
