Skip to main content

VW Wants to Take the Electric Record at Pikes Peak

Volkswagen wants to prove its electric car bona fides, and the best way to do that is at the track, as it were. To prove itself, it has announced that it will try to break the electric record at Pike’s Peak.

“The Pike’s Peak hill climb is one of the world’s most renowned car races and is therefore perfectly suited to proving the capabilities of upcoming technologies,” said Dr. Frank Welsch, head of development. “Our electric race car will be equipped with innovative battery and drive technology. The extreme stress test posed by Pikes Peak will us important feedback that will benefit future development.”

Volkswagen Motorsport will build the car. In the past, they have taken the Polo to four consecutive World Rally Championships, the Beetle (now) three Red Bull Global Rallycross championships, and much more.

The brand has also raced at Pikes Peak before, with a twin-engine Golf. Not unlike the I.D. concept, there were engines up front and out back. Sadly, that Golf just missed out on the finish, but Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director, says that “it is high time for a rematch.”

“The project is also an important milestone in our new motorsport orientation,” said Smeets. “The race on Pikes Peak is a new beginning for us. We are developing an all-electric race vehicle for the first time.”

This new race car will be in good company when it gets to Pikes Peak, which is no stranger to electric cars. Given the high altitude, power coming from a motor that doesn’t run on air is actually an advantage. At 14,000 feet above sea level, traditional engines can struggle to find power near the peak.

The event’s current record holder is Sebastien Loeb (in a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak) at 8:13.878. The electric record, meanwhile, is held by Rhys Millen in the e0 PP100 with a time of 8:57.118. Volkswagen will be looking to beat Millen’s time.

The post VW Wants to Take the Electric Record at Pikes Peak appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2kZG3x3
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway

Waterfest 24 will be held at Atco Dragway, in Atco, New Jersey. The summer event will take place at its new venue on July 21 and 22. Long held in Englishtown, New Jersey, the festival has been such a large part of the VW scene that the latest iteration of the Golf even comes with optional “Englishtown” wheels . The new venue, however, is an NHRA drag track a scant 52 miles southwest of Englishtown. The ¼ mile drag track opened in 1960, which makes it the oldest drag strip in New Jersey. The announcement came today on a social media post that announced the new location. Waterfest is North America’s largest VW/Audi show. As many 20,000 people show up for the annual show, making the second largest show in the world—with Worthersee being number one. 2018 will be Waterfest’s 24 th year in existence. The post Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2GQjkuc via IFTTT
Post a Comment
Read more

European Passat GTE launches as Saloon and Variant

Volkswagen continues e-motoring offensive with plug-in hybrid Passat GTE delivers 218 PS and travels up to 50 kilometres on all-electric power First Volkswagen plug-in hybrid in the high-volume segment of large family cars The Volkswagen continues to electrify! Following the Golf GTE*, comes the next high-volume model with a plug-in drive system: this time the German carmaker is electrifying the new Passat GTE. Its launch marks the debut of a new generation of business and family cars – zero-emission vehicle and long-distance touring car all in one. A Volkswagen that combines the present and the future. A car that boasts not only one of the most progressive drive systems of our time, but also an array of innovative assistance and infotainment systems that is ground-breaking in the segment of large family cars. With superb system output of 160 kW / 218 PS, frugal NEDC consumption of just 1.6 l/100 km and 12.2 kWh/100 km (Variant: 12.4 kWh) and an all-electric range of up to 50 k...
Post a Comment
Read more