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Volkswagen Sets All Time Record on Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Volkswagen’s continuous bragging about the I.D. R electric racer over the past few weeks concluded this Sunday, at the Pikes Peak Hill climb, the place where the most talked about car of the event did exactly what it was supposed to do.
volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak crossing the finish line 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
Driven by Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas, the I.D. R clocked a time of 7:57:148 minutes, more than a minute faster than the electric car time achieved by Rhys Millen back in 2016. Volkswagen’s performance is good enough to become the climb’s new all-time record, 16 seconds faster than the 2013 time set by Sébastien Loeb.

“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 in a statement Frank Welsch, Volkswagen’s executive in charge with development.

“Every Volkswagen employee can be extremely proud of today’s result. I congratulate the team from the bottom of my heart. 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.”

The I.D. R is powered by two electric motors that give it 680 horsepower and torque rated at 650 Nm. That’s enough to boost the machine from naught to sixty-two faster than Formula 1 and Formula E cars, in only 2.25 seconds.

Including its battery cells, the I.D. R Pikes Peak weighs less than 1,100 kilograms (2,425 lbs.), allowing for an excellent power-to-weight ratio.

For Sunday’s record, Romain Dumas and the I.D. R had to compete against 24 registered motorcycles and 62 cars in six different classes.

The Pikes Peak contender has been built, from the drawing board to the finished product, in only seven months. Its design and technology are to form the basis of the future family of I.D. electric vehicles, set to enter the market starting 2020.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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