Driving the 662bhp I.D. R Pikes Peak, Romain Dumas defeated a field including cars with conventional drivetrain technology. In doing so, he not only broke the previous record for electric vehicles, but also bettered Sebastien Loeb's all-time record from 2013 - by a full 16 seconds.
"The I.D. R Pikes Peak is the sporty forerunner of Volkswagen's I.D. 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 Volkswagen I.D. 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."
19.99km, 156 corners, just one attempt and a successful one. Romain Dumas claimed his fourth overall victory at the iconic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which has now been held 96 times since 1916. With the I.D. R Pikes Peak, Volkswagen has created an extraordinary racing car, specifically tailored to the demands of the most famous of hill climbs - a combination of minimum weight, as much downforce as possible, and maximum power, designed to achieve the best possible performance.
Including its battery cells, the I.D. R Pikes Peak 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. In the matter of aerodynamics, the key was to compensate for the loss of downforce caused by the thin air on Pikes Peak.
Volkswagen also struck out in a new direction when it came to charging technology; the goal being to charge the car as quickly as possible with minimum environmental impact. The time was defined by the regulations. In case of the race being suspended, it must be possible to completely charge the car in under 20 minutes. The electricity required was provided by generators at the foot of Pikes Peak.
"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 Volkswagen I.D. 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."
19.99km, 156 corners, just one attempt and a successful one. Romain Dumas claimed his fourth overall victory at the iconic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which has now been held 96 times since 1916. With the I.D. R Pikes Peak, Volkswagen has created an extraordinary racing car, specifically tailored to the demands of the most famous of hill climbs - a combination of minimum weight, as much downforce as possible, and maximum power, designed to achieve the best possible performance.
Including its battery cells, the I.D. R Pikes Peak 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. In the matter of aerodynamics, the key was to compensate for the loss of downforce caused by the thin air on Pikes Peak.
Volkswagen also struck out in a new direction when it came to charging technology; the goal being to charge the car as quickly as possible with minimum environmental impact. The time was defined by the regulations. In case of the race being suspended, it must be possible to completely charge the car in under 20 minutes. The electricity required was provided by generators at the foot of Pikes Peak.
