Volkswagen has their sights set on a Nurburgring record with their I.D. R electric racer.
Volkswagen is on a tear with their I.D. R electric race car. After debuting at the Pikes Peak International Hill climb in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the I.D. R then shocked the world by shattering the Pikes Peak record by producing the first ever sub-8-minute lap time of 7:57.148. Electricity had finally arrived in the automotive racing world.
The I.D. R performed that incredible feat with an extremely efficient and lightweight set up. Two electric motors power each axle producing a combined 680 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. Zero to sixty is done in just 2.25 seconds mostly because the whole car weighs just 2,500 lbs, and that’s including the weight of the driver.
We don’t know how much Romain Dumas weighs, but it can’t be more than 170 lbs.
After demolishing Pikes Peak, VW has been on the warpath with the I.D. R. Now they have their sights set on Germany’s Nurburgring and are aiming to beat The Green Hell’s top EV time of 6:45.9. That record is held by the Nio EP9, a Chinese electric sports car that has a combined 1,341 hp thanks to an electric motor on each of its wheels.
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Zero to sixty on the EP9 is done in just 2.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 190 mph. Range is just 276 miles, but you shouldn’t expect to go that far if you plan on making a bunch of 2.7-second starts.
Crucially, the EP9 is a street-legal car which weighs 3,825 lbs, while the I.D. R is a dedicated racer that weighs almost half as much.
We think the I.D. R certainly has a shot of taking the EV title, but the overall fastest lap is another thing entirely. That’s held by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo LMP1 at 5:19.55. If the I.D. R comes anywhere near that time it’ll be a miracle, but who knows? Maybe the I.D, R will catch some tail winds on race day.