The Volkswagen I.D. R crushed the hill. Pikes Peak has a new record holder and it belongs to an electric sports car. With a time of just 7:57, Romain Dumas and the VW silent assassin have entered the record books. Is this just the beginning?
An electric vehicle is perfectly suited to the extreme conditions presented by the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The air is thin. Temperatures fluctuate. This 14,115 peak in Colorado can play serious games with internal combustion engines. A battery pack and a set of electric motors are the right tools for the job, it would seem.
Will Pikes Peak prove to be the playground for more EV race cars in the coming years?
Hooniverse Asks: Is Pikes Peak the new EV playground?
About
17 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: Is Pikes Peak the new EV playground?”
-
It will become a playground rather for lightness engineers, and even more for tire developers: at some point, the drivetrains can spin the wheels at any speed…
-
Reminds me of the old Mark Donohue quote about when his car would have enough power, when it could spin the wheels at the top of top gear.
-
I freely admit that I’ve read his book a year ago, so that may have been an inspiration for my point of view.
-
-
-
Seems like a good duration for showcasing an EV. No need to be handicapped by slow recharge times (vs. refueling), and the scope of the race is within an EV’s range, with more time to show off than would be provided in a drag race.
-
I think it will. As you said, electric propulsion is incredibly well suited to the climb. The relatively short duration makes the limited range less of a concern than in long-form racing, and the consistence of power output over the elevation change is to the turbo cars what the turbo cars were to the naturally-aspirated cars.
-
For a hillclimb like this I guess everyone agrees the tech is spot on. But watching the video of the record, I still find it a bit…erie?…how a car can be so incomprehensibly fast – and yet stay basically silent. It’s amazing, yet also a wee bit disappointing. It would be strange if this didn’t affect the attraction of motorsports; it’s geekified and less of a spectacular happening, despite the achievements being spectacular.
-
Just put an effects mike next to the motor or gear train
-
I’d like to put a different Mike next to the motor, but I would be concerned that all the droning on about the geology of Pike’s Peak or of the praises of electric quadracycles might be too much distraction from any actual motorsports achievements.
-
Two. Just two. Can’t a guy own just two electric quadracycles without getting a reputation?
Man, at this point I don’t even feel like going into the differences between granite and syenite. For now.
-
-
-
-
I take this to be a continuation of the theme of racing minivans. Solution approved.
-
-
It is unreal watching them scream by at 140 (fastest I remember seeing) and all you hear (other than the obnoxious mandated sirens) is the tire noise and the wind as they speed past. Theres a bit of a whine, too.With the high end gas engines, you’ll hear them 15 turns before and after you can see them. If it wasn’t for the sirens, the electric ones would just appear around a corner.
I agree that the sound from a loud gas engine adds to the excitement, but there is something cool about taking out that overpowering sound and hearing all the other bits. It does amplify all the other noises the car is making, you hear the tires struggle for grip, or the suspension complain when they hit a bump. It’s different, for sure, but it’s still cool.-
Watching production cars racing at Bathurst with lightly treaded R-compound tyres all you heard on Conrod Straight at 150 mph plus was tyres and wind noise too. Not sure what noise limit they had for the exhaust but under 100dB.
-
-
-
I’ve been working fire support for the hill climb for the last 4 years. Figures I’d miss this year, just couldn’t make it happen. But I plan on being back next year.
That said, it’s been an EV playground for as long as I’ve been working it. The numbers of entrants and sophistication of those entrants has been steadily increasing. It’s interesting seeing the development of the technology at one year increments. And for all the reasons you stated, it makes perfect sense.-
I once spent eight hours at the top… that was a very long (yet still entertaining and interesting) eight hours.
-
You’re basically trapped once the event starts, right?
-
At the top there is a train that will take you back down, but I had to be there from start to finish to cover it… I was trapped.
-
-
-
Leave a Reply