VW Pikes Peak EV Accelerates Faster Than An F1 Car

Volkswagen has been teasing its electric Pikes Peak race car for a while now but today we were given more information on the electric vehicle (EV). And also, it looks pretty amazing!

Called the I.D. R Pikes Peak, this Volkswagen beauty was built to smash the EV record of 8 minutes and 57 seconds. It won’t do it through horsepower, but through a carefully adjusted power-to-weight ratio.

The Drive eO PP100, the current record holder for Pikes Peak, had 1596hp and 2,646 lbs, while Volkswagen’s electric race car comes at 680hp and 2,500 lbs.

“The I.D. R Pikes Peak features two electric engines, generating a system capacity of 680hp. Lithium-ion batteries are used as the energy storage system, similar to production EVs, as their power density is the crucial factor for the system when producing high voltage. Roughly 20 percent 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,” explained Volkswagen. 

According to Volkswagen, the electric race car they built for the Pikes Peak race can go from 0 to 60mph in 2.25 seconds, faster than a Formula 1 or Formula E can.

You’ll see the I.D.R Pikes Peak in action on June 24th and find out if Volkswagen manages to smash Pikes Peak records. Given that its 2.25 second 0 to 60 is faster than Formula 1’s or Formula E’s, the EV has a decent shot!