VW’s ID.4 becomes first production electric car to complete 1350km off-road race

A specially prepared version of Volkswagen’s hugely popular ID.4 electric SUV has completed the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) Mexican 1000 race in the Baja peninsula of Mexico, the first ever production-based electric vehicle to complete the 1,350-kilometre (840-mile) race.

Driven by professional racer and Volkswagen brand ambassador Tanner Foust – who was also involved in modifying the production ID.4 1^st Edition RWD along with Rhus Millen Racing for off-road use – the ID.4 was running its stock powertrain and 82kWh battery pack with a modified off-road suspension and racing interior.

Out of 90 cars and trucks to enter the NORRA 1,000, Tanner Foust and the ID.4 were one of 64 vehicles to finish the entirety of the race that boasts stages measuring between 50km and 270km. The ID.4 was able to recharge mostly using a portable biofuel-powered generator connected to a 50kW charger.

There were a few instances, however, where the charger was not available for the scheduled transit between stages that saw ID.4 flat-towed behind a chase vehicle for a short distance, using the regenerative braking to add range.

“This was everything we had hoped for,” said Tanner Foust. “The course was challenging, but the ID.4 was more than up to the tasks we asked of it. This demonstrates the real potential for EV technology to make an impact in all sorts of areas that we have only just begun to explore.”

As can be imagined of a 1,350-kilometre race across the desert terrain of Baja, Mexico, the terrain and conditions were  demanding, but the ID.4 finished the race with its stock 201-horsepower electric motor, battery pack, and drive systems.

Foust and the ID.4 weren’t contenders for podium finishes, finishing close to the rear of the pack of finishers and over 22-hours behind the first placed finisher. But winning the race was never on the cards considering that the top three finishers were heavily kitted-out off-road buggies.

Other modifications to the ID.4 for the race included a reworked suspension package with rally-style coil-over struts at all four wheels and tubular lower control arms in the front and boxed lower rear links. The vehicle’s radiator was also raised several inches to improve approach angles and cooling capacity, while additional skid plates of 3/8-inch steel were added to the undercarriage.

And, by the end of the race, the only damage suffered by the ID.4, despite the demanding conditions of the Baja region, was a few cosmetic injuries to the rear bumper.

All of the modified ID.4’s key power, battery, and control systems performed as expected, racing primarily in “B” level battery regeneration mode with stock traction turned on.

“This was an exciting test of ID.4 technology because no other production-based EV had ever entered this event, let alone completed it,” said Scott Keogh, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America.

“Congrats to our team for demonstrating that EVs can stand up to extreme environments and showing how fun electric vehicles can be. The ID.4 could definitely be the Baja Bug for the electric age.”