Volkswagen has unveiled its electric car to challenge for the title in the infamous Race to the Clouds at Pike’s Peak in Colorado. It’s a smooth-bodied, single-seater, closed-cockpit machine with a giant rear wing – plenty of downforce always a good thing when you are attempting to drive flat-out for 12 and a half miles (20km) up the side of a mountain to a peak 4300m above sea level… in under nine minutes.
It’s called the ID R, and it’s by far the most exciting thing VW has applied its burgeoning electric vehicle sub-brand to. Just look at the size of the rear wing! The car was partially revealed a few weeks ago, but now we have some proper technical details to go on. Most importantly, what it’ll be powered by: it has two motors making a combined 671bhp and 470lb ft.
The motors will be powered by a set of lithium-ion batteries, but where it gets interesting is energy recovery: the power generated under braking will make up a whopping 20 percent of the total juice used by the ID R during the run. The 2018 running of Pikes Peak will take place on 24 June.
