Yahoo Autos VW's I.D. R Had a Dusty First Day at Pikes Peak
It'll be interesting to see what Volkswagen's I.D. R racing prototype can do at Pikes Peak. On one hand VW's engineers believe an electric prototype shouldn't be able to take the overall win against the more powerful, yet lighter, turbocharged opposition. On the other, Rhys Millen did just that with his eO PP03 EV from Latvia in 2015, and if there's anybody who has the chance to do it again, Romain Dumas is the man, considering he's a three-time Pikes Peak champion himself.
But this is Dumas' first outing in an electric prototype, and VW didn't have a whole lot of development time. The I.D. R came together quickly with a combination of Porsche's and Volkswagen's know-how, hiding 680 horsepower in its modified Norma-monocoque. But not more, because that would mean more batteries, and VW set its weight limit under 2500 lbs. to get the right balance out of the chassis and the powertrain.
Volkswagen wants to beat Rhys Millen's 2016 EV record of 8:57.118 using clever aerodynamics instead of just outright power. VW is working hard to find the right setup in such a short time, and Romain Dumas is positive that they have the best team for the job. But June 24th is coming, and in 2016, Rhys Millen's Hyundai-backed prototype had a peak output of 1595 horsepower. We shall see who's better at math!
Watch the video on YouTube here.
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