This Is Volkswagen's Ridiculously Electric Pikes Peak Racer

Volkswagen competes in the Pikes Peak race every year with a lightweight custom race car. Called the ID R Pikes Peak, the two electric engines deliver 680 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The whole package weighs just under 2,500, and VW says the vehicle is good for a 0-60 time of 2.60 seconds. This makes the car faster than a Formula 1 Or a Formula E car – and slightly faster than a Type S launched in Ludicrous mode.

Volkswagen says the race car was developed to balance weight and electrical energy capacity. The race car uses lithium-ion batteries, and dual electric motors act as generators during power outages, allowing the vehicle to recover lost energy and send it back to the batteries.

The Pikes Peak race car has long been used as a test bed for automakers. The race is a tough 4,720-foot vertical climb on a winding road with 156 corners. A modified Peugeot 208 set the all-time record of 8 minutes and 13 seconds in 2013, but a custom electric car from Latvia came close in 2016 with a time of 8:57.118. Driver Rhys Millen said the run could have been as fast as 30 seconds, but half the car's powertrain failed on the way up. This eO PP100 model has 1,190 kW (1,600 hp) and 2,520 Nm of torque and weighs 1,200 kg

Volkswagen's attempt to maximize the performance of an electric car has been significantly less powerful and twice as heavy.

As for comparison to Tesla Model S, while 0-60 times are similar on paper (2.25 seconds vs. 2.3 seconds), it wouldn't be fair to compare the two in real-world testing. In order for a Tesla to hit 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, which is possible, certain conditions must be met, and it can only reach speeds off the line. The car's software also limits how long the Model S can launch at that speed. Meanwhile, a VW racer will likely be accelerating at these speeds again and again – racing tires will help, too.

Normally, if you're driving on a mountain track or a road course, the ability to recover from drops in speed is what wins the race, and with 156 corners, the Volkswagen has plenty of opportunities to recover from steep inclines.