Wolfsburg, Germany - Volkswagen calls this the i.D. R Pikes Peak, and the name tells you exactly what it is.
It’s the pure electric all-wheel prototype racing car that Volkswagen Motorsport, together with the I.D. electric car development programme, has entered for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado on 24 June 2018 in Colorado, USA.
It’s not only the poster child for the future I.D. family of electric cars (production of the first I.D. model is due to start at the end of 2019 in Zwickau and Volkswagen plans to have more than than 20 fully-electric cars in its line-up by 2025) but also the first fruit of a closer cooperation between performance division Volkswagen R and Volkswagen Motorsport.
Management board member for development Dr Frank Welsch explained: "We want to be at the forefront of electromobility with the I.D. family; competing in the most famous hill climb in the world with the I.D. R Pikes Peak is not only a valuable test for the general development of electric cars but also has symbolic meaning for us."
The international Pikes Peak hill climb - known as the "Race to the Clouds" - has been held since 1916 near Colorado Springs in the Rocky Mountains. The 19.99 kilometre route runs from the start at 2800 metres to the summit at 4300 metres above sea level. Pikes Peak was discovered in 1806 by explorer Zebulon Pike and later named after him, even though he wasn't able to reach the summit due to lack of suitable clothing and provisions.
Volkswagen last entered the Pikes Peak hill climb in 1987 with a spectacular 480kW double-engined Golf, which was in the running for the overall win in the hands of Jochi Kleint when it suffered a transmission failure just two corners from the finish line.
"It’s about time we settled that score," said Volkswagen Motorsport director Sven Smeets. "The I.D. R Pikes Peak represents an exciting challenge for us, to show what is possible with an electric engine in motorsport.
“Our driver Romain Dumas and the whole team are keen to set a new record for electric cars."
The current benchmark in the electric prototype class is 8m57.118s, set by New Zealand's Rhys Millen in the e0 PP100 in 2016.