The redeveloped Volkswagen ID. R made its world debut today after undergoing an intensive redevelopment program to prepare it for the extreme challenges the 12.9-mile long Nürburgring-Nordschleife will place on it, as it attempts to set an outright all-electric lap record. The 670hp ID. R has already achieved some impressive results over the past year, setting the outright record at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Denver, Colorado.
“The ID. R’s mission to be the spearhead of the fully electric ID product family continues in full force,” says Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director. “Once again, in 2019, the ID. R will demonstrate the great potential of electric drive, combining emissions-free technology with true emotion. The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is the next step on the journey of the ID. R, a car that shows the way ahead for electric drivetrains in Volkswagen motorsport. To see the ID. R take to this legendary race track for the first time will be a moment guaranteed to give you goose bumps.”
Testing at the Green Hell will begin shortly. While driver Romain Dumas has won the famous 24-hour Nürburgring endurance race four times, this will still be a unique challenge for Dumas, who says he will treat the track with a lot of respect as he goes into the upcoming first test run. “I have already driven the Nordschleife with the ID. R on the simulator countless times. But you only get the true feeling from the incredibly high cornering speeds when you’re on the actual track. The extent to which the ID. R has been continuously developed compared to 2018 is impressive. I can’t wait to finally drive the ID. R on the Nordschleife,” says Dumas. Romain will not be the only person able to experience the ID. R around the challenging circuit, because Volkswagen have just revealed an online racing simulator that fans can download free of charge to experience the electric race car in a virtual setting.
The biggest changes that have been carried out to the ID. R are focused around its aerodynamics, which have now been honed to provide a higher top speed. “Last year, the number of turns and the thin air at Pikes Peak demanded maximum downforce,” explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director of Volkswagen Motorsport. “On the Nordschleife lap, the ID. R will reach an average speed of more than 112 mph—with a top speed on the straight of up to 168 mph. We have therefore developed a completely new aerodynamic package using DRS, the drag reduction system known from Formula 1, as well as optimizing the energy management, which controls the power output of the two electric motors and energy recovery under braking.”
In the case of the ID. R the DRS system serves to improve overall efficiency and can reduce the vehicle’s air resistance by 20 percent. Thanks to its low energy consumption, it can be deployed whenever required for the duration of the lap. With the current Nürburgring-Nordschleife EV lap record set at 6:45.90 by the NIO EP9 in 2017, Dumas will no doubt use every technological advantage at his disposal to better it.
Images courtesy of Volkswagen
