(July 7, 2018) HERNDON Va. — On June 24th, Volkswagen made motorsports history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Today, video of the entire record-breaking run is available for the first time. The 671 horsepower, fully-electric I.D. R Pikes Peak, driven by Romain Dumas, outran cars powered by conventional drivetrain technology and, with a time of 7:57.148 minutes, not only smashed the previous electric car record, but bested the all-time record set in 2013 by Sébastien Loeb — by fully 16 seconds.

Only 250 days have passed since Volkswagen’s announcement of the ambitious I.D. R Pikes Peak project and the record-breaking run to the sky.

Unique demands of drivetrain technology, battery life and aerodynamic design made this an extremely challenging goal for the team of engineers and designers to achieve. The car’s success adds to the significance of the brand’s forthcoming electromobility push that will usher in a range of fully-electric production vehicles starting in 2020.