The Volkswagen ID.R was developed and tested at record speed for the legendary hill climb on Pikes Peak. A mere 250 days passed between the announcement of the project on 18.10.2017 and the record-breaking run on 24.06.2018.

At 2 metres and 35 centimetres, the rear wing is probably the most impressive in recent motorsport history. The Volkswagen engineers developed the ID.R in such a way that it was able to defy the thin air, which only got thinner the closer the car got to the summit. The spectacular aerodynamics were integral to this.

Nothing is more impressive than the acceleration of the ID.R for Pikes Peak. 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.25 seconds. As it happens, acceleration was not the priority for the Volkswagen engineers during development. The hill climb on Pikes Peak features a flying start. As such, the on-board electronics ensure that the acceleration is relatively gentle, in order to look after components. Despite this, the ID.R is still faster off the mark than a Formula 1 or Formula E car.

Speed was again the key when it came to charging batteries on Pikes Peak. The regulations stipulate that the cars must be back at the start and ready to go within a very short space of time should the race be suspended. In order to comply with this regulation, the Volkswagen engineers developed a quick-charge system, which is capable of fully charging the car within 20 minutes.

The ID.R generated roughly a third of the energy required itself during its storming run to the summit. Electric motors act as generators to recover 20 percent of the necessary energy when braking. Without braking, the car would not make it to the top.

During its summit attempt, the ID.R climbed 1,440 metres to the finish at the summit, which stands at 4,302 metres above sea level. The start is at 2,862 metres.