Volkswagen Motorsport has beaten the time record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with the help of ANSYS’ software. Finishing in 7.57.148 minutes, Volkswagen Driver Romain Dumas (F) crossed the finish line in Volkswagen’s first-ever, fully-electric race car, the I.D. R Pikes Peak.
The track used for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb measures around 12.5 miles, climbing 4,720 ft from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway, to the finish at 14,110 ft. The use of an electric vehicle means that power is not lost as the vehicle reaches higher altitudes – unlike typical combustion engines.
With ANSYS software Volkswagen Motorsport engineers conducted complete virtual drive tests of the entire race and optimised battery cooling system with minimal weight and aerodynamic drag loss. ANSYS solutions also enabled engineers to replicate the course’s extreme driving conditions.
‘Behind the wheel of the 680-horsepower sports car prototype, Dumas mastered the track and the battery cooling system performed precisely as our simulations predicted,’ said François-Xavier Demaison, technical director at Volkswagen Motorsport and I.D. R Pikes Peak project. ‘ANSYS provided us the competitive edge to outperform the high altitude and challenging turns and set a new world record.’
‘Together, Volkswagen and ANSYS achieved the perfect combination of energy management, electric propulsion and aerodynamics to set the record at Pikes Peak,’ said Shane Emswiler, vice president and general manager at ANSYS. ‘Dumas’ world-class driving, Volkswagen’s ground-breaking vehicle design and ANSYS’ multiphysics solutions created an unstoppable force on the track. We congratulate the team and look forward to further innovating and setting more electric vehicle records together.’
