Volkswagen ID R breaks EV Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record

Volkswagen ID R has successfully broken its next EV record, this time at the auspicious Nürburgring Nordschleife. With Romaine Dumas at the wheel, the ID R crossed the line with a time of 6:05.336, over 40 seconds faster than the previous EV record set back in 2017 by Chinese EV firm Nio and its EP9 electric supercar.

In order to break the record, Volkswagen Motorsport took its bespoke EV racer that conquered Pikes Peak around 12 months ago and modified its aero package to better suit the higher speeds and denser air of the North Loop. This is still a way off Porsche’s overall record in the 919 EVO (5:19.546) but remains an impressive feat.

New aerodynamics package

Part of the new aero package is new F1-like tech, such as a drag reduction system, which has been fitted to the slimmer, lower rear spoiler. As in F1, the system is essentially a movable flap placed on the rear wing, opening to increase the ID R’s straight line speed, and closing again when under braking and cornering. The DRS is activated by the driver from within the cabin, and VW’s engineers expect the driver to deploy the system a total of 10 times over the course of the lap.

Same engine

The powertrain is unchanged from the Pikes Peak-winning ID R, VW borrowing the 670bhp electric motor and 44kWh battery pack from its own Formula E racer. Thanks to the incredibly high-efficiency rating of the electric motor, the key development challenges come in the area of battery management. Volkswagen Motorsport’s Technical Director, François-Xavier Demaison stating in a conversation with evo that, “you need to take care of the battery pack like you do your children”. The battery pack itself must be carefully measured for this attempt, the Nordschliefe’s long back straight causing the biggest technical headache for the team.

With the record broken, Volkswagen’s desire to push its forthcoming range of electric cars under the ID nomenclature will only continue. With this record now broken, it’ll be interesting to see if, or what Volkswagen has planned next.