Volkswagen to tackle Pikes Peak with electric racer

Volkswagen Motorsport plans to run an electric hill climb racer in the hope of setting a record run.

It’s been more than three decades since VW have taken on the Race to the Clouds, so doing it with an electric car will be quite the comeback, as well as a statement on how the brand has progressed.

The all-wheel drive racer will run at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, USA on 24 June 2018. The vehicle is being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport in close cooperation with Technical Development in Wolfsburg.

"The race on Pikes Peak is a new beginning for us. We are developing an all-electric race vehicle for the first time," says Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport director.

"The project is also an important milestone in our new motorsport orientation. Our team is literally electrified about taking on this incredible challenge."

VW’s last efforts at the Pikes Peak mountain race in 1987 were unsuccessful with a twin-engined Golf didn’t make it to the finish line. "It is high time for a rematch," says Smeets.

Frank Welsch, development board member, says the challenge of Pikes Peak will help VW develop electric technology that’s up to the task.

"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," Welsch says.

"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."