Volkswagen's Hill Climb Hero Sets EV Record at Goodwood
In case you thought the Volkswagen I.D. R’s impressive victory at Pikes Peak was a fluke, it managed another one over the weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. On Saturday, Romain Dumas crawled inside the cockpit of the I.D. R and motored it up the hill in a blistering 43.05 seconds — setting a new record for electric vehicles.
The previous record for an EV was set in 2013 by Jonny Cocker, who drove the Lola-Drayson B12 69/EV across the line in an already savage 47.34. If you’re wondering what the all-time course best is, it’s 41.6 seconds — Nick Heidfeld drove a McLaren MP4/13 up the hill back when Goodwood still allowed Formula One cars to participate in the event. Compared to Pikes Peak, Goodwood is an exceptionally short and relatively simple course. But that’s like saying the sun is bright when you compare it to a desk lamp. It’s also unimportant.
The point is they are both stretches of road that allow cars to compete on an even playing field, and the I.D. R once again proved that electric vehicles have placed a target on the back of gas-powered performance.
Volkswagen wasn’t the only company to bring a savage EV to the track, either. Nio allowed the street-legal EP9 to have a go on Saturday, finishing just over a second behind the VW. However, the I.D. R’s 680 horsepower, 480 pound-feet of instant torque, and exceptionally light weight — tempered with loads of downforce — managed to keep it ahead.
After the win at Pikes Peak, Volkswagen made it clear that its high-performance electric would tour the world attacking other records, noting that Goodwood should be very interesting. Watching the run is pretty staggering, although the vehicle sounds more like a tuned-up RC car than we’d prefer. But it’s a comically fast vehicle that was able to take full advantage of its powertrain’s attributes on the shorter course, so it’s silly to complain about the shrill noise emanating from within.
[Image: Volkswagen]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Develop a quick change battery system and let it run at places like LeMans. And put some baseball cards on the spokes so it at least sounds something like a race car.
filed in my "Who gives a Rats Kiester" folder.