New Pikes Peak hill climb record ... and it was set by an electric car

[BTB 500]

VW have broken the Pikes Peak record with an electric car, knocking 15 secs off the time set by Sébastien Loeb in his monster Peugeot 208 T16 5 years ago.



Details here:

Volkswagen I.D. R sets new overall Pikes Peak record

 

[moonloops]

Did the VW use more electric than they put in to it ?

 

[BTB 500]

Yeah, they picked electric so nobody can query the emissions

Pretty big achievement though; first time the car has run other than testing and qualifying.

 

[m2287]

I suppose being electric it doesn’t suffer from lack of oxygen like the petrol cars do!

 

[BTB 500]

I suppose being electric it doesn’t suffer from lack of oxygen like the petrol cars do!

Very true, although cars with forced induction (turbo or super charged) are much less affected.

 

[merc85]

Dam quick milk float

 

[Mactech]

Yes, for short events especially at altitude the electric cars can be every effective.
When I did the event in 2015 it was won by an electric car.

Our supercharged Jag F type was almost 40% down on it's 'sea level' power at the top of the hill.
If you add a few years development, the might of the VW group and a multi time event winning driver to the mix, then it was only a matter of time until the record was broken.
I have run Dumas when was a (slightly stroppy!) but very quick young frog and he is very good.

Whilst I can agree on zero tailpipe emissions, if we look at the bigger picture how much of the earth's resources were plundered to extract the materials for the exotic batteries, rare earth (clue in the title) magnets and other bits to produce the car?
Of course the car would have been charged on the good 'ol US national grid powered by nothing more than hot air and the the spirit of America......not!
Mighty impressive time all the same. It remains the only place on earth that I have looked down on high cloud....from a car.

 

[Mactech]

If you want to give the whole family the scare of their lives, you could do worse than take them up in one of these:
The Bentley Bentayga is the fastest SUV at Pikes Peak
That's only about 4 secs slower than our Jaguar F type!

 

[BTB 500]

VW claimed the car had gone from a blank piece of paper to taking the record in 9 months - impressive, if true. I didn't realise they'd knocked 60 seconds off the existing electric record.

I saw that Bentley - pretty bonkers!

 

[BTB 500]

Of course the car would have been charged on the good 'ol US national grid powered by nothing more than hot air and the the spirit of America......not!

I read that VW supply their own power, using a generator setup that runs on Glycerol (rather than diesel) for minimum emissions:

VW details the engineering behind charging ID R Pikes Peak racer

 

[Mactech]

I read that VW supply their own power, using a generator setup that runs on Glycerol (rather than diesel) for minimum emissions:

VW details the engineering behind charging ID R Pikes Peak racer

Thanks. Yes, I'd forgotten they wouldn't take it back to base overnight and there is no national grid on the mountain. At least it seems they are learning from all the negative publicity and actively trying to put on a 'kind to the environment' face.

 

[BTB 500]

Yup those polar bears won't save themselves

 

[BTB 500]

Yesterday VW took the Nurburgring EV lap record as well ... with the second fastest time ever, in ANY category. Only beaten by the current overall lap record holder (Porsche's 919 Hybrid Evo, based on a Le Mans car).

List of Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times - Wikipedia

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[Brian k]

Wow... that’s some lap right there. I wonder what the next challenge is ?

 

[Benzmanc]

Did they have to cut a groove down the centre of the road??

 

[BTB 500]

I wonder what the next challenge is ?

The overall lap record at Nurburgring would be good Or the overall record for the Goodwood Hill Climb (which has stood for 20 years ... set by the McLaren F1 car that had dominated that year's World Championship).

 

[merc85]

Wow... that’s some lap right there. I wonder what the next challenge is ?

Top see if it would do another lap that quick without going on charge over night lol

 

[Will]

I imagine the lap records set by IC engined cars would only be carrying the minimum amount of fuel also to be fair?

 

[merc85]

I imagine the lap records set by IC engined cars would only be carrying the minimum amount of fuel also to be fair?

maybe, maybe not

 

[BTB 500]

I'm sure any non-production car going for a record lap would be running at the lowest weight possible.

Remember Top Gear stripping everything they could from the Transit van (passenger seat, spare wheel, etc.) for Sabine