It s achieved what no production EV has done before.
Over the weekend, Volkswagen participated in the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) Mexican 1000 race, a grueling competition mostly filled with dedicated off-road vehicles. Ford competed as well, ending with a third-place finish in a Bronco. Though the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 didn t earn a podium finish at the event, but simply finishing in a near-stock electric vehicle is impressive.
The ID.4 managed to survive 840 miles of off-road racing, which is more than can be said of the Lordstown Endurance, which gave up after 40 miles in Baja. Driven by brand ambassador Tanner Foust, the ID.4 was one of 64 vehicles out of 90 to finish the NORRA 1000. Off-road racer and automotive journalist Emme Hall helped, completing two stages.
Volkswagen It s exciting to be part of an ambitious challenge like this that pushes the limits of electric vehicles, said Foust. We ve learned a lot about the capabilities of the Volkswagen electric vehicle hardware in an environment that s tough for any vehicle, and it s performed well beyond our expectations.
VW has a history of competing in the NORRA Mexican 1000 as the Beetle-based Meyers Manx won the first event in 1967. This year s race covers 1,141 miles total, 893 miles of which are off-road. This is approximately the distance between Nashville and Miami. Obviously, charging the ID.4 will be important for such a long race, which is why VW will bring along a 50-kW portable, fast charger running on biofuel. This year s race will be run in loops due to COVID travel restrictions, meaning VW expects to run 98% of the stages without recharging.
autoevolution 19 Apr 2021, 5:21 UTC ·
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The much-anticipated and highly mediated debt of the Lordstown Endurance electric pickup truck turned out to be more of a flash in the pan-type of thing. But it’s not all bad news.
The Endurance skateboard, dressed up in the finest off-road racing body and gear by Brenthel Industries, was only able to complete 40 miles (64.3 km) of the race before retiring. Lordstown Motors announced the result in a post on social media and, without offering an explanation for the shortened race, declared themselves satisfied with the result.
The announcement regarding participation in the race was made in February this year. Lordstown said it would be testing the in-wheel motors and battery technology at the SCORE San Felipe 250 race in Baja California, Mexico, arguably one of the toughest challenges on earth. The goal was never to make it to the finish line in time but to complete the single-loop 290-mile (467-km) race and collect data that wou
Author Bio
Howard grew up in Philadelphia watching the Philly sports teams struggle for championships. He has been investing since 1989 and been a Fool since 2001. Prior to joining The Fool as a contract writer in 2019, Howard worked in the steel business as an engineer for 28 years. When he isn’t writing, he is usually out for a run, or relaxing to the music of the Grateful Dead.
What happened
Electric truck start-up
Lordstown Motors (NASDAQ:RIDE) has had a rough month after being hit with a short-seller report and subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. Now add on a black eye over the weekend after failing to finish a highly touted off-road truck race. Lordstown shares are trading down about 10.3% today, as of noon EDT.
Alpha Motor
Two full-size doors provide access for the driver and front passenger, while rear occupants access the cabin with two three-quarter size doors that hinge backwards. In terms of dimensions, the Wolf+ is around 203 inches long, 78 inches wide, and 69 inches high, making it 15 inches longer, two inches wider, and three inches higher than the regular Wolf. The truck bed is also approximately 65 inches long, 59 inches wide, and 18 inches deep, allowing for 40 cubic feet of storage. For comparison, the regular Wolf offers 64.5 cubic feet of storage. An optional truck bed extension hitch can also increase the length of the truck bed by 40 inches.