PARIS: Volkswagen has officially pulled the cover off its fully-electric supercar – the
I.D. R Pikes Peak
, in Alès, France.
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”, said Volkswagen member of the board of management Dr Frank Welsch.
The upcoming Pikes Peak International Hill climb in Colorado Springs will be held on on June 24 where the all-electric supercar will be setting its sights on beating the existing electric car record of 8 minutes and 57.118 seconds.
Weighing in at less than 1,134kg with Lithium-ion batteries, the supercar brings with it two electric engines producing a combined output of 680hp and 450Nm.
The supercar’s performance translates to a 0-100kph sprit time of 2.25 seconds — faster than a Formula 1 or Formula E car.
Roughly 20% of the electric energy required is generated during the drive, so the key here is energy recovery.
When braking, the electric engines act as generators, converting some of the braking energy into electricity and feeding this into the battery.
The company revealed that the bulk of its tests were conducted at racetracks and was limited to certain sections of the 20km route. But with the car finally revealed, testing over the full route can finally commence.
Helming the car will be 39-year old Frenchman and Alès native, who also happens to be the current defending Pikes Peak champion – Romain Dumas.
The Frenchamn, who names motorsport legend Jacky Ickx as his idol, already has three victories at Pikes Peak and two 24 Hours of Le Mans victories under his belt.
The upcoming race involves a 1,340m vertical-climb, 156 corners, and just one single attempt.
It is not uncommon for finish-line temperatures at the 4,300km-summit of Pikes Peak to be below freezing at the end of June.
Keyword: Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak officially unveiled