In October of last year, Volkswagen confirmed it would enter the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, using an electric car. On Monday, VW released less shadowy renderings of the car alongside the car’s name, I.D. R in keeping with the brand’s I.D. electric car nomenclature. The company will use its Pikes Peak entry to showcase the company’s MEB powertrain, which a Volkswagen spokesperson described to The Drive as a German acronym for “modular electric toolkit.”
Volkswagen confirmed that the I.D. R will be four-wheel drive in its release, but the myriad of performance figures and battery specifications for which we prodded the carmaker went undisclosed. The car itself will be driven by Romain Dumas, three-time overall winner at Pikes Peak and two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“The I.D. R Pikes Peak represents an extremely exciting challenge for us, to show what is possible in motorsport with an electric drivetrain,” stated Sven Smeets, Volkswagen motorsport director, in the company’s release. “The entire team behind our driver Romain Dumas is highly motivated to set a new record for electric cars.”
The current course record for electric vehicles was set in 2016, by mountain veteran Rhys Millen in an eO PP100, achieving a time of 8:57.118. The eO PP100 produces 1,596 horsepower and 1,859 pound-feet of torque, and weighs in at 2,646 pounds (1,200 kilograms) according to its makers.
Millen and Dumas are drivers of similar calibers, so Volkswagen’s chances of besting the electric record will hinge upon its ability to make the I.D. R superior to the PP100. Given that VW is using its race entry as marketing for its electric vehicle program, we can expect the Germans not to pull punches at Pikes Peak this June.