July 10, 2018
The new Volkswagen ID R, one of the most iconic and futuristic-looking electric vehicles of recent times, made history at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Climb. The vehicle was piloted by French racer Romain Dumas, who used the electric vehicle to cover the famous 12.4-mile course in just under eight minutes. This not only decimated the previous record, which was just under nine minutes, but also set a powerful new standard for electric vehicles. When viewers saw what Volkswagen electric cars are able to do, the press generated a massive amount of buzz for the auto manufacturer, and, indeed, for the potential of all electric vehicles. The car earned the title of being the fastest vehicle on the mountain.
Pikes Peak is perhaps the second-oldest race in all of the United States, the first one being the renowned Indianapolis 500. It is also regarded as one of the toughest, as a lot of technical skill is necessary to battle against the terrain. It is also one of the few races where individuals are able to battle on relatively even ground in terms of electric engines and gas ones.
As a result of the dominant victory, few viewers need to be convinced of the potential of electric vehicles, but drivers have said that the biggest obstacle they faced during the race might not have been the race itself, but, in fact, the weather. Thirty years ago, Volkswagen had a difficult time making it to the top of the mountain because of inclement weather conditions. At the time, they used a Golf hatchback, with one engine powering each axle of the car. Though unorthodox, it was a powerful enough vehicle that. Unfortunately, it was not able to make it past the mountain's challenges. With new modifications to the Volkswagen ID R, the driver was not only able to finish the race, he was able to shatter previous records.
Internal combustion engines start to have trouble breathing at higher altitudes. Though gasoline and most diesel vehicles can begin to lose power in that type of air, electric cars are entirely unaffected because they do not need air to generate motion. This gave the driver an advantage over the competition. VW has also said that it will be planning on putting even more emphasis on electric vehicles, showcasing a promising new series of launches that may become readily available in the early 2020s. This promises to provide fans with a broad variety of new cars to test out as the standard for electric vehicles continue to improve. For now, the auto manufacturer is happy to accept its ground-breaking victory and use it to fuel their journey to further developments.