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Automotive

Volkswagen obliterates Nürburgring electric record by over 40 seconds

By Nick Lavars
June 03, 2019
Volkswagen obliterates Nürburgring electric record by over 40 seconds
Volkswagen's ID.R in action at Nürburgring-Nordschleife
Volkswagen's ID.R in action at Nürburgring-Nordschleife
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Volkswagen's ID.R in action at Nürburgring-Nordschleife
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Volkswagen's ID.R in action at Nürburgring-Nordschleife
Driver Romain Dumas was at the wheel when the Volkswagen ID.R set a new lap record for electric vehicles at Nürburgring
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Driver Romain Dumas was at the wheel when the Volkswagen ID.R set a new lap record for electric vehicles at Nürburgring
Volkswagen built its ID.R with the intention of showing what the heads in its electric drive division are capable of
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Volkswagen built its ID.R with the intention of showing what the heads in its electric drive division are capable of
Volkswagen's ID.R crossed the line at Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 6:05.336 with an average speed of 206.96 km/h (128 mph), a new record for electric vehicles
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Volkswagen's ID.R crossed the line at Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 6:05.336 with an average speed of 206.96 km/h (128 mph), a new record for electric vehicles
Volkswagen's ID.R in action at Nürburgring-Nordschleife
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Volkswagen's ID.R in action at Nürburgring-Nordschleife
View gallery - 5 images

Volkswagen built its ID.R with the intention of showing what the heads in its electric drive division are capable of, and it only took a few months after its unveiling for the zero-emission race car to claim a record at the iconic Pikes Peak. The twin-motor electric racer has now built on this with yet another momentous showing, this time at Nürburgring-Nordschleife, where it has broken the lap record for electric vehicles by a whopping 40.564 seconds.

It was only two years ago that we were hailing the record-setting efforts of Peter Dumbreck in NIO's all-electric EP9 supercar, who lapped the Nurburgring in a blistering 6:45.900. But he would have been left well in the wake of Romain Dumas this week, who crossed the finish line in 6:05.336 with an average speed of 206.96 km/h (128 mph).

Dumas was also at the wheel when the ID.R obliterated the all-time Pikes Peak record in 2018, and again when it claimed the electric car record for the 1.86-km (1.1-mi) Goodwood Hill Climb a month later. But the 507-kW ID.R underwent some refinements ahead of its latest outing, with the team making some speed-oriented changes for its record-setting effort at Nürburgring.

Volkswagen built its ID.R with the intention of showing what the heads in its electric drive division are capable of
Volkswagen built its ID.R with the intention of showing what the heads in its electric drive division are capable of

"For this evolved version of the ID.R, the aerodynamic configuration was more strongly adapted to the highest possible speed, rather than maximum downforce," explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director. "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."

You can check out the ID.R's hot lap in the view below.

Electric Record Nordschleife | Full Lap Volkswagen ID.R

Source: Volkswagen

View gallery - 5 images

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7 comments
Nick Lavars
Nick Lavars
Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. He previously spent time at The Conversation, Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbourne’s RMIT University along the way.

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7 comments
apprenticeearthwiz
Could it have gone a minute faster to take out the overall record? Remind me, who owns Porsche the current record holder?
Nobody
Electric race cars are going to ruin racing. Much of the attraction of racing, especially drag racing, is the sound and the smells. The whine of an electric motor doesn't instill any excitement no matter how fast they go. I got bored watching the video above and exited it only half way through. I hate to think of a day when NASCAR sounds like a slot car race.
WufSA
@nobody - that's ok. I imagine in the near future when petrol/diesel cars are banned anyway there can still be a licensed category for petrol/diesel race cars. These race attempts are good mindset changers. I know for me they changed my view of electric engines. In the future I imagine you will need special permits for 2 types of cars - non electric, and also for human driven cars.
guzmanchinky
I drove this track last summer in my car, and it scared the heck out of me. I'm a very experienced driver, with lots of track time, but this track just takes everything out of you simply because it's so long. I was driving an E400 but of course I was getting passed by much faster cars (and passing a bunch of slower vehicles, including a scooter, which is part of the excitement of this crazy road). I loosely did it in about 9 or 10 minutes. I can barely watch how fast this amazing electric car is without getting sweaty palms. And electric is the future, people who say they will suffer because of a lack of noise and smells are just going to have to deal with it. If we are very lucky there might, maybe, be some places where we can actually drive a vehicle ourselves, but I think someday this will all go away like riding horses down main street...
Nobody
Before everyone declares the fossil fuel vehicles' demise, there are a few things to consider. One article claims that just three electric cars per city block would totally overwhelm our current power grid. How many solar panels and windmills will it take to replace our current power demand before even adding in all the electric cars and trucks needed to replace our current vehicles? What kind of road damage will all these super heavy battery powered vehicles do? What kind of fires will large, high voltage cars make from a major collision? Will people be electrocuted, burned or just overcome by toxic chemicals? What kind of toxic waste will all of these batteries generate? Since almost all electric cars are in the luxury price range, what average person can afford one or two? How many traffic jams will stalled cars create because the owner didn't plug it in last night or had to make a second trip to the store? I see a future for hybrids and reducing fossil fuel use but I don't see all electrics taking over for many years to come and certainly not down on the farm. As for self driving vehicles, don't even get me started. This too will only work under limited conditions. I can't even get through the month without computer updates for all the latest viruses and bugs. A computer to drive my car would have to be much more dependable. My current GPS screws up about once per trip. The more we depend on technology, the more helpless we become. This won't be progress, it will be our extinction.
alan c
Obviously a huge achievement but what I found most interesting was the difference in top speed on straights near the beginning and end of the lap; about 260+kph initially then 240+kph near the end, indicating a sagging battery. I say great battery management but some might say not enough range...
RFM
@nobody: I understand your perspective, nonetheless IC engines as primary power train will become as rare as Faberge eggs in the future--by necessity. Future generations will look back on our vehicles like we look back at 8 track tapes. And there'll be the odd oldster driving around in an M3 and shifting gears. He'll be exactly like the old guy I see from time to time in his '56 Chevy.
(But I can't lie about how much I enjoy shifting gears.)