Volkswagen’s new menacing ID R electric car was driven with anger up the stunning 6.77 mile stretch of road which features 99 turns and goes uphill by over 2,500 feet. Volkswagen’s new car has now broken the records at some of the most daunting roads in the planet, obliterating records at the Pikes Peak, the Nurburgring Nordschleife and Goodwood Festival of Speed. Their record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife was the most impressive due to recent history of performance cars constantly outbidding each other to become the fastest on the legendary circuit. Breaking the previous Nordschleife record set by the NIO EP9 by almost 40 seconds, the Volkswagen ID.R can now claim to be one of the fastest electric cars made.
In a statement after the recent Tianmen run, Ralf Brandstatter, Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Passenger cars, said: “A new record on a truly spectacular road – Volkswagen and the ID.R have once again shown what the electromobility of the future is already capable of today.
“Not only has it proven that electric cars like the ID.R can break established records and set new benchmarks, but the ID.R also shows how emotive and executing the mobility of the future is.”
Acceleration is one of the ID.R’s greatest strengths and can achieve 0-60mph in a staggeringly quick 2.2 seconds.
A force of 670bhp combines with a Formula 1 style Drag Reduction System (DRS) to produce 20 percent less downforce on the straights for extra speed.
Electric motors and two lithium battery packs generate top speeds of up to 168mph when on full throttle.
Le Mans 24 Hour winner Romain Dumas was behind the wheel of the ID.R and claimed the China run will go down as one of his most spectacular outings behind the wheel.
He said: “I will certainly remember this record run on Tianmen Mountain forever as my most spectacular outing. I am proud to have set a record with the electric Volkswagen ID.R in China. The little information and testing we had beforehand made it a huge challenge.
“The road is incredibly narrow and winding, but the drive was unbelievable fun with the electric power of the ID.R. The huge torque was a big advantage on the short straights, while the aerodynamics provided additional traction in the fast sections.”
Volkswagen’s development of the ID.R is to push the boundaries of electric technology which the company claims will become the future of the brand.
The ID.R will not be available to purchase for the road but the company’s first consumer electric car has seen sales soar since its launch.
The ID.3 saw a staggering 10,000 orders within the first 24 hours of the car’s initial launch.
Motorists then snapped up a further 30,000 models when the electric challenger made its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The new car has recently picked up several accolades such as WhatCar?’s ‘car of the year’ and ‘affordable electric car of the year’ awards.
For a price tag of £27,000, Volkswagen claims the ID.3 will be capable of a range of 342 miles on fully-electric power based on WLTP estimates.
Volkswagen Group plans to sell 22 million electric cars over the next ten years and claims to have 70 different models in the pipeline.
The company is also hoping to meet its target of going completely zero carbon by 2050.