After months of promises, VW has formally unveiled its electric Pikes Peak race car… and its performance might be surprising even in light of earlier hype. The I.D. R Pikes Peak is built to smash Pikes Peak’s EV record of 8 minutes and 57 seconds not through brute force, but by achieving a finely tuned power-to-weight ratio. While the 680HP two-motor powerplant may not sound like much when the existing record holder (Drive eO’s PP100) packed a whopping 1,596HP, VW’s vehicle will weigh under 2,500lbs versus 2,646lbs for its archrival.
Combine that with potentially better aerodynamics (the VW car is closer to a Le Mans car than the usual hill climber) and the result is an EV that can outperform some of the fastest race cars. With a 0-60MPH time of … More