The 5 Fastest EVs Around the Nurburgring Nordschleife
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of the most famous tracks the world over.
“The Green Hell,” as it was dubbed by three-time F1 world champion Jackie Stewart, is an extremely challenging circuit located in Germany. Such is the challenge, many automakers torture test their vehicles around the legendary course, and lap times are regarded as huge bragging rights.
Electric vehicles are also getting in on the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time fun, with some of the fastest laps recorded belonging to non-ICE cars.
1. Volkswagen ID.R
The Volkswagen ID.R is a monstrous EV that can outrun anything that tries to challenge it. It’s certainly not a car that’s part ofVolkswagen’s current lineup of consumer EVs. This isn’t a road legal sedan that’s been slightly modded to go faster around the ‘Ring; this VW is a full-on racetrack machine.
The sound the ID.R makes as it speeds along a racetrack is truly menacing, which is a strange thing to say for an electric vehicle. Most people associate electric cars with an ultra-quiet powertrain that barely makes a sound.
This is not the case with VW’s ultimate EV, and the shrill sound the motors make is more akin to an angry chainsaw than a quiet electric vehicle. It’s not a coincidence the ID.R holds the record for the quickest EV lap time around the Nürburgring, and at 6m05s the record-setting lap time is indeed blisteringly quick.
The ID.R has an intense focus on keeping the vehicle as light as possible, as well as creating tons of downforce through the use of advanced aerodynamics. As a result, not only does this ultra-fast VW EV run circles around any other electric vehicle on the Nordschleife, but it also broke the Pikes Peak record with a time of 7m57s.
The most impressive part is that the ID.R doesn’t need a million horsepower to accomplish these insane lap times, as it truly makes the most of its relatively modest 680 bhp.
The ID.R also eschews the use of four individual electric motors, instead using only two electric motors, one for each axle. This shows that keeping the vehicle light is just as important as adding raw power when it comes to faster lap times.
2. Nio EP9
Nio is best known for its battery-swapping EV technology, where your EV’s battery is simply swapped out instead of waiting for it to recharge. However, battery swapping isn’t the only forward-thinking idea that Nio is pursuing.
They also happen to have an extremely track-oriented EV that is lightning-quick around the Nordschleife. The Nio EP9 actually held the record for the fastest EV around the ‘Ring before the Volkswagen ID.R knocked it off its perch.
Just because it’s second best to the ID.R doesn’t mean it’s not extremely fast, especially considering that it’s possible to purchase the EP9, whereas the ID.R is a high-tech concept car. So just how fast is the Nio EP9? Extremely.
Its time around the ‘Ring is a ridiculous 6m45s. This might not seem very impressive compared to the Volkswagen ID.R’s time, but just for reference, a Tesla Model S Plaid takes 7m35s to lap the circuit.
The Model S Plaid is a ridiculously quick machine, capable of obliterating the 0-60 MPH run in only 1.99 seconds, and the Nio still destroys it around the Nordschleife by almost a minute. What’s the secret to the Nio’s insane speed?
Well, for starters, it delivers an extremely powerful 1,360 metric horsepower thanks to four electric motors. The Nio EP9 is incredibly aerodynamic, and the best part is that it looks like a hypercar.
The design is easily one of the meanest to ever adorn a vehicle and to be quite honest; it makes a crazy hypercar like the Bugatti Chiron look dated and boring. It’s probably the best-looking hypercar currently on the market.
Its interchangeable battery system also allows the car to excel at track days, where you can simply swap out the battery system instead of waiting to recharge the batteries to 100%.
The Nio EP9 is the stuff of dreams, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see posters of this EV adorning many walls worldwide.
3. Porsche Taycan Turbo S
The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is a monster EV and the first “normal” production electric vehicle on this list. The previous two entries were hyper-EVs you’ll never see on a public road. Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S is a completely different story.
The Taycan Turbo S, while expensive, is one you’ve probably seen driving around at least once or twice. It also doesn’t look like something an alien would drive, which makes its insane speed and lap times even more impressive.
The Taycan Turbo S lapped the famous Nürburgring in an amazing 7m33s. This makes it faster than that other electric sedan from Elon Musk’s car company. Obviously, Porsche wasn’t going to sit around and let Tesla beat their Nordschleife time, especially considering the Nürburgring is located on Porsche’s home turf.
At 222 miles, the Taycan Turbo S doesn’t have the most impressive electric range, so track days might prove frustrating in the record-setting Porsche. Regardless, the performance of the Taycan Turbo S’s incredible 616 HP is undeniable.
The Porsche also features an “over-boost” function that will up the power ante to 750 HP with launch control—definitely more than enough to scare your friends.
4. Tesla Model S Plaid
Most EV fans know aboutthe ultra-quick Tesla Model S Plaid. That’s why seeing it come in fourth place on a list of the fastest anything is so shocking. Regardless, the Model S Plaid has nothing to be ashamed of.
All the cars above it, except for the Taycan Turbo S, are crazy vehicles that are purpose-built for the racetrack. On the other hand, the Plaid is not a radically styled race car; it’s actually a conservative-looking sedan that’s perfect for the supermarket run.
This makes Tesla’s acceleration all the more impressive. This car can accelerate from 0-60 MPH in less than two seconds. Not only this, but it’ll complete the quarter mile in nine seconds.
These are all extreme numbers, and the Model S Plaid’s Nürburgring lap time is no less impressive at 7m35s. The Plaid’s lap time was originally a production EV record at the ‘Ring, but then the Taycan Turbo S took the crown from the Tesla. It will definitely be interesting to see what time the Tesla Roadster puts down if it ever reaches production.
5. SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive
The electric version of the SLS AMG Coupe set an EV production car record at the Nordschleife in 2013, and the time of 7m56s was extremely impressive for the day.
It’s actually still very impressive, and the car was so ahead in technology that it features four individual electric motors driving the wheels. This technology is still not commonplace in electric cars today, not even in Tesla EVs.
The electric AMG featured wild colors and a radical body-colored grille. Mercedes was way ahead of the curve when the electric SLS was introduced, and many of today’s electric cars were inspired by this German titan.
Today, even Mercedes is gathering inspiration from their electric SLS in the form of their new lineup of electric vehicles.
It Won’t Be Long Before EVs Take Over All of Motorsports
Electric vehicles have come a long way, and the one domain they’re still not completely dominating is motorsports. But this is quickly changing, as evidenced by the lightning-quick laps we’ve seen from EVs tackling famous tracks.
Hint: It’s not the one you first think of.
Taming data is easier than it looks.
When your rival has to bail out your assistant.
Free AI tools are legitimately powerful; you just need to know how to stack them.
You don’t need to fork out for expensive hardware to run an AI on your PC.
You’ve been quoting these famous films wrong all along!
