Electric car sales are soaring, and EV adoption is accelerating. But were you aware that electric vehicles have been around for a long time? Even more surprising, electric vehicles have had a long history of success in motorsports competition.
- VW ID.R
The ID.R represents the pinnacle of modern EV performance. Volkswagen’s electric race car is all about speed, with one of the quickest EV laps ever recorded at the Goodwood Hillclimb, where you can easily play real money slots. The ID.R also holds the record for the quickest EV lap time at the renowned Nürburgring Nordschleife. The ID.R is not only one of the fastest EVs around the Nürburgring, but it also holds the current record for any car.
The formidable ID.R also set the overall record at Pikes Peak, establishing the electric VW race car as one of motorsports’ most distinguished EVs. The ID.R also looks the part, with a full-on race car body reminiscent of a LeMans prototype.
This is not your friendly neighborhood Beetle. VW’s electric track menace is rated at 680 bhp, which may not sound like much for a race car, but the ID.R is a true weapon. With its strong twin-electric motors, the ID.R can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than two seconds, placing it in elite company. The only thing lacking is a street-legal version of the ID.R.
- Kona EV Rally Car
The standard Kona Electric is an inconspicuous crossover recognized for its practicality rather than its speed through a turn. But the Kona EV rally car is the furthest thing from a standard Kona Electric you can imagine. One sight at the Kona EV rally car rushing from corner to corner, clouds of gravel trailing in its wake, is enough to persuade even the most ardent rally enthusiasts that the Kona EV racer is genuine.
Paddon Rallysport built this EV rally car in New Zealand. It is piloted by Hayden Paddon and won its inaugural event, a 4-kilometer hill climb at Waimate, in 1:58.38. If you’re used to using EVs for personal transportation, the Kona racing car’s enormous wing and wide wheel arches will leave you dumbfounded than when you access androiddrawer.com. This is one of those unusual cars that appears to move quickly even while standing still.
- Riker Electric 1896 Race Car
Most people believe that electric vehicles are a new phenomenon, primarily intended to promote environmental sustainability. However, electric vehicles have been around for a very long time. Indeed, a man named Andrew Riker was Elon Musk before Elon Musk. This innovative fellow founded the Riker Electric Vehicle Company in 1899.
The bulk of people, including EV owners, have no idea who Mr. Riker is. Recognizing early pioneers is critical, especially with the EV revolution starting. In 1896, Andrew Riker raced one of his electric vehicles at Narragansett Park in Rhode Island, in one of the first races around a track in American history. If you think it’s interesting that an electric vehicle competed in one of the first automobile races, you’ll be even more astonished when you learn that the Riker won.
- GM Sunraycer
This amphibian-looking solar racer was innovative when it was first debuted in the 1980s, and it remains legendary as a race car driven by renewable energy. The Sunraycer was the result of a collaboration between General Motors and AeroVironment, and it raced in (and won) the 1987 World Solar Challenge, an Australian race from Darwin to Adelaide.
The Sunraycer swept the competition, which featured Ford, by taking first place. According to the National Museum of American History, the second-place Ford Sunchaser was more than two days and 620 miles behind General Motors’ solar racer.
It would be an understatement to say that the Sunraycer was a pioneering electric race car. The Sunraycer was only allowed to charge for two hours before and after the race, utilizing solely solar power. It also moved quickly in a straight line. GM’s solar racer set an astounding then-world top-speed record for a solar vehicle (without battery assistance) of 48.712 mph.
The Sunraycer is a true racing legend whose influence can still be seen today. Unfortunately, solar-powered vehicles were not taken seriously enough at the time; after decades of study and development, we’d be driving around in solar EVs right now. Nonetheless, the Sunraycer is one of the most appealing pre-Tesla EVs we’ve ever seen, and its introduction in the 1980s foreshadowed a greener future.
