Pikes Peak electric racer from VW

An electric “super sports” competition car, the I.D. R Pikes Peak, has been revealed by Volkswagen.

It features two electric engines, generating up to 500kW with 650Nm of torque, and weighs under 1100kg.

Volkswagen says the car has “huge acceleration – faster than Formula 1 and Formula E in a sprint” and will compete in the Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado Springs, USA, on June 24.

Defending Pikes Peak champion Romain Dumas will drive the car, aiming to beat the 8:57.118-minute record for electric cars at the “Race to the Clouds”.

The car was unveiled in France at Ales, which is Dumas’ birthplace.

The top goal when developing the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak was to find the ideal balance between energy capacity and weight.

Unlike the manufacturing of production vehicles, the goal of the motorsport engineers was not maximum range, but the highest possible power output on the way to the Pikes Peak summit.

About 20% of the electric energy required is generated during the 20km drive.

“Customers have always benefited from the findings made in motorsport, and we expect to take these findings and use them as a valuable impetus for the development of future I.D. models. The hill climb on Pikes Peak will definitely be a real acid test for the electric drive,” VW management board member Dr Frank Welsch says.

The Race to the Clouds starts at 2862 metres above sea level, involves a climb of 1440 vertical metres, 156 corners, is on 100% asphalt.

Teams get just one attempt.