Photo: Volkswagen
For months German carmaker Volkswagen has been busy building up the hype around its attempt to climb the Tianmen Mountain with an electric car. On Monday, September 2, it was all over in 7:38.585 minutes.
That is how long it took Volkswagen’s ID R and its driver, Romain Dumas, to conquer the 99 turns of the Chinese road, climbing from 200 meters above sea level (656 feet) to 1,519 meters (4,900 feet) over a distance of 11 km (7 miles).
Until this day, there was no official time to beat on the said road, as it is usually closed to traffic. That means the minutes set by the German car is now to time to beat, should anyone else decide to take a shot at it.
Dumas’ run up the mountain was not an easy task, as he had to navigate through tight hairpins and sprints where he reached speeds of up to 230 kph (143 mph) while braking hard any time tunnels approached.
“I will certainly remember this record run on Tianmen Mountain for ever as my most spectacular outing. I am proud to have set a record with the electric Volkswagen ID.R in China,” the driver said in a statement.
“The road is incredibly narrow and winding, but the drive was unbelievable fun with the electric power of the ID.R. The huge torque was a big advantage on the short straights, while the aerodynamics provided additional traction in the fast sections.”
With this new record to its name, the ID R has once again proven it is at the top of its food chain and an incredible electric car. It already holds the records for Pikes Peak hill climb, Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb and the EV lap record at the Nürburgring.
Making them all possible is the car’s powertrain, comprising two electric motors that develop 680 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque.
Until this day, there was no official time to beat on the said road, as it is usually closed to traffic. That means the minutes set by the German car is now to time to beat, should anyone else decide to take a shot at it.
Dumas’ run up the mountain was not an easy task, as he had to navigate through tight hairpins and sprints where he reached speeds of up to 230 kph (143 mph) while braking hard any time tunnels approached.
“I will certainly remember this record run on Tianmen Mountain for ever as my most spectacular outing. I am proud to have set a record with the electric Volkswagen ID.R in China,” the driver said in a statement.
“The road is incredibly narrow and winding, but the drive was unbelievable fun with the electric power of the ID.R. The huge torque was a big advantage on the short straights, while the aerodynamics provided additional traction in the fast sections.”
With this new record to its name, the ID R has once again proven it is at the top of its food chain and an incredible electric car. It already holds the records for Pikes Peak hill climb, Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb and the EV lap record at the Nürburgring.
Making them all possible is the car’s powertrain, comprising two electric motors that develop 680 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque.
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