VW to compete at Pikes Peak hill climb with all-electric race car
This will be the first time the German manufacturer has competed at the hill climb since 1987
Volkswagen will take on the iconic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2018 with an all-electric race car, the German manufacturer has confirmed.
VW hopes the all-wheel-drive prototype, which is currently in the development phase, will set a new record for electric cars when it competes in the event, located in the US state of Colorado, in June next year.
The electric race car forms one part of the firm’s plans to transform itself into the “leading producer of electric vehicles”.
Board member Frank Welsch said: “The Pikes Peak hill climb is one of the world’s most renowned car races. It poses an enormous challenge and is therefore excellently suited to proving the capabilities of upcoming technologies.
Our electric race car will be equipped with innovative battery and drive technology. The extreme stress test on Pikes Peak will give us important findings that will benefit future development, and it will showcase our products and their technologies.”
Volkswagen Motorsport is collaborating closely with the company’s Technical Development arm to produce the car.
Sven Smeets, director of VW Motorsport, said: “The race on Pikes Peak is a new beginning for us. We are developing an all-electric race vehicle for the first time.
“The project is also an important milestone in our new motorsport orientation. Our team is literally electrified about taking on this incredible challenge.”
Volkswagen last competed in the Pikes Peak hill climb, which sees racers climb 1,440 metres over a 12.4-mile course, in 1987 with a twin-engined Golf.
The German brand has been teasing the new electric racer in a series of tweets, using the hashtags #UnfinishedBusiness and #ChallengeReloaded.
