Volkswagen has been slowly setting the scene for its electric-mobility future by diligently accruing EV lap records on some of the world’s most famous and challenging race tracks and circuits. Their latest achievement is arguably the most impressive too, having already claimed the quickest EV times ever at Pikes Peak and Goodwood: the 680hp Volkswagen ID.R has just smashed the Nürburgring Nordschleife EV record by a massive 40.564 seconds. Piloted by Romain Dumas, a four-time winner at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the ID.R completed the lap in 6:05.336 at an average speed of 129.35mph.
The previous EV record had been set by Peter Dumbreck in a 1342hp NIO EP9 in 2017, which did it in 6:45.9. While that car is technically road-legal, the ID.R shows just how quickly technology moves on in this sector and the huge performance potential of future electric vehicles. The ID.R went through an extensive modification process to get it ready for the unique challenges of the Nürburgring: unlike for the Pikes Peak and Goodwood attempts, the focus here was on a high top speed rather than maximum downforce as Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison explains: “With extensive test laps in the simulator and on the race track, we adapted the ID.R to the unique conditions of the Nordschleife, focussing mainly on chassis tuning, energy management and optimal choice of tires for the record attempt.”
“The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is not only the world’s most demanding race track, it is also the ultimate test for production vehicles,” said Herbert Diess, chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group. “The ID.R has mastered this challenge with great distinction and has completed the fastest emission-free lap of all time. As further proof of its impressive performance capabilities, Volkswagen’s e-mobility can now proudly call itself ‘Nürburgring-approved’. I congratulate the team from Volkswagen Motorsport and driver Romain Dumas on the third record for the ID.R”
There are doubtless going to be future record attempts as the ID.R is the perfect platform from which to showcase the company’s EV technology, and with so many major manufacturers preparing their own electric vehicle offerings, we can expect to see a lot more interest in such record attempts.
Images courtesy of Volkswagen
