Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak Is Basically an EV Porsche 919

Volkswagen teams up with Porsche to build a record-breaking, all-EV racer that’s also a technical marvel!

The Porsche 919 has earned its place in racing history, racking up countless memorable wins over the years. But just because the hybrid race car’s professional career is nearing an end doesn’t mean it can’t still be useful. As Porsche shifts its focus to competing in the Formula E series, it needs to accelerate its EV racing program. And what better way to do that than with, uh, this Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak racer?

While Porsche will undoubtedly use this all-electric Volkswagen as a data miner for its efforts, the car was actually born out of another goal. In August of 2017, VW decided that they wanted to go out and break Rhys Millen‘s electric Pikes Peak record, set back in 2016. This effort would also serve as a nice way to promote the brand’s EV efforts here in the U.S. So they put their heads together with Porsche LMP1 engineers and built the insane hill climbing machine you see here.

Compared to the Porsche 919, the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak might seem a little tame. Weighing in at less than 2,500 pounds, it packs “only” 680 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. VW engineers could have extracted more power from the car, but that would have also necessitated more heavy battery packs. Instead, they set out to strike the perfect balance between energy capacity and weight.

The results are immensely impressive. 0-60 takes a mere 2.25 seconds – faster than both Formula 1 and Formula E cars. Roughly 20 percent of the car’s required power comes from braking, while the rear brakes rely almost entirely on regenerative braking. And cooling is obviously a big challenge with all of those cells, as performance degrades immensely after temperatures reach 160 degrees.

Regardless of the many technical challenges, it sure looks like VW has built a winner here. With  defending Pikes Peak champion Romain Dumas behind the wheel, the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak will (quietly) get its chance to set a new record on June 24.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.
He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.