Volkswagen wants to prove electric is faster than F1

Friday, 5 July 2019

The Volkswagen ID.R is already the fastest electric vehicle to run up the hill climb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, knocking it off in 43.86 seconds at last year's event.

Just before last year's Goodwood run it became the fastest electric vehicle up Pikes Peak (7:57.148) and just a few weeks ago it also became the fastest EV around the Nurburgring (6:05.336). So how exactly would VW show off its very fast EV at Goodwood this year?

How about by breaking the 20 year old overall record up the 1.8km hill climb set by a Formula 1 car? Well, that is exactly what the German company is planning to do.

Back in 1999, German F1 driver Nick Heidfeld set the fastest time of 41.6 seconds in the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13, powered by a naturally-aspirated V10 engine producing roughly 574kW.

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Last year, when French driver Roman Dumas set the electric record in the ID.R, it was pumping out 'just' 500kW, yet its time was still the fastest seen in 15 years and stands as the third fastest time in the history of the event. So this year, VW has gone even more aggressive with the ID.R to nab that overall record.

'We have developed another evolutionary stage of the ID.R – a sprint version with smaller batteries, in order to further reduce weight,' said François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport.

'We have also opted for a far more aggressive energy management strategy for the short distance. At Goodwood, the only things that count are maximum power and minimum weight. With the driver on board, the ID.R weighs less than 1,000 kilograms.'

According to Volkswagen Motorsport Director, Sven Smeets, last year the ID.R lined up in Goodwood just three weeks after the record-breaking run on Pikes Peak and used the same technical configuration it did there.

'This year, we will field an ID.R that has been prepared specifically for Goodwood,' he said.

'A change is taking place in the field of production vehicles and in motorsport. Electric cars are becoming increasingly more powerful and have long since reached the same level as cars with combustion engines in many areas.

'In Goodwood, we want to show that the electric drivetrain in the ID.R can mix it with Formula 1. However, whether or not Romain Dumas can successfully challenge Nick Heidfeld's track record also depends on the conditions at the weekend.'

Weather and track condition will play crucial roles in the record attempt - the unsettled weather in southern England and the condition of the route in the grounds of Goodwood House are just a few of the uncertainties that  the team says it is confronted with.

'It is difficult to judge correctly how much grip the track will provide,'  said driver Romain Dumas.

'That changes all the time over the course of the weekend.'