VW wants electric supercars in rallycross

Electric cars in rallycross aren't exactly a new thing, but the presence and power of them may be in growth as Volkswagen is considering the build of an electric machine on par with the monstrous supercars we have now.

No established plans are in place now, but VW's head of technology Frank Welsch declared in interview to the Autocar publication that rallycross would be an ideal arena for electric cars, as the short races with intense acceleration combine with the concept of an EV. Welsch also stated that the future conversations with championship organizers are with the goal of doing an all-electric competition or even mix them with the petrol powered supercars, given that a set of regulations would adjust them to ensure the competition is still there.

At the moment the most known option in terms of electric rallycross is the Andros Car 04 that races in the snow of France during the Trophee Andros winter championship. The car built by Exagon Engineering has around 90 kW (122 hp) of power and 200 Nm of torque, reaching 160 kph of top speed, a bit below of a Super 1600 car.

As there are some manufacturers that can do EVs who reach the double of the power of a rallycross supercar, so it depends of what every manufacturer can do to reach the 600 hp figure, although this would have to be allied not only with batteries capable of storing a pretty good amount of energy, but also capable of quick recharge, since the 1 hour intervals between the World RX qualifiers, as well from semifinals to final don't leave a good edge to any prospect.

If you're curious about how the electrics behave in rallycross, this footage from the 2015 season of the Trophee Andros Electrique should give you some idea to what you should expect:

PHOTOS: Volkswagen RX Sweden, Trophee Andros