Volkswagen has flaunted the sporty side of its electric innovation by setting an all-time record in the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado.
Former Le Mans winner Romain Dumas took the I.D. R Pikes Peak prototype up in just seven minutes 57.148 seconds on the 19.9 km mountain road.
That was 16 seconds faster compared to the 2013 record set by fellow-Frenchman Sebastien Loeb in a 3.2 liter V6 engined Peugeot 208.
The event, nicknamed the ‘Race to the Clouds’, has been in place since 1916.
Volkswagen used the event to preview technology that it will incorporate in a range of battery-powered models including the I.D. range.
“The I.D. R Pikes Peak is the sporty forerunner of Volkswagen’s I.D. family. Today, we observed what this technology is capable of,” stated Volkswagen board member Frank Welsch.
“The team has managed to make 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 over 100 years. That speaks volumes for electric mobility.”
The streamlined car produces 500kw and weighs below 1,100 kg. Volkswagen stated it was the most innovative and complex car ever created by its motorsport division.
Dumas stated it was the most impressive he had driven in competition.
The German automaker is investing billions on electric vehicles. VW has a goal to sell three million electric cars annually across the group by 2025 and to provide an electric version of each of the group’s 300 models by 2030.
