Currently reading: Volkswagen wants all-electric supercars in World Rallycross
Car maker says the short, frenetic racing of rallycross is a perfect arena to demonstrate advances in electric powertrain technology

Volkswagen is pushing for World and Global Rallycross Championship regulations to be developed for all-electric supercars, as a way to show off the advancing capability of the technology.

The company currently competes in rallycross with factory-developed Volkswagen Beetles powered by four-cylinder, 1.6-litre engines producing around 550bhp.

However, the firm’s head of technology, Franck Welsch, revealed that he was keen to see race organisers adopt an all-electric format, either alongside the top category or in place of it.

Extreme 560bhp Volkswagen Beetle Rallycross car

“I can certainly imagine a championship done with all-electric cars,” he said. “The races are around six minutes long, which allows for short, intense bursts of competition and then charging.

“Today these cars are super-powerful, have torque from hell and use all-wheel drive. Electric drivetrains could deliver that.

“If the championship moved that way it would be perfect for us. We are already in discussions with organisers to that effect.”

Welsch also confirmed that VW will continue in the World Rally Championship for at least the next “two to three years”, with an all-new Volkswagen Polo launching to meet the new regulations in 2017. “We like being three-time champions very much, and hope to add to that even when the competition intensifies in the coming years [with the arrival of Toyota and a newly-developed Citroen].”

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bol 16 March 2016

You can make them sound like whatever you want.

For some reason VW decided the Golf GTE ought to sound like a diesel (albeit from the inside). There's no reason that they shouldn't make an exciting sound - you could have them puffing out blue smoke too like in aerobatics. ;-)
289 16 March 2016

Oh please.....

....does this current infatuation with EV's have to infect everything?
Just watch the spectator numbers crash if the top category is replaced with EV's (quick or not). It will be like watching a silent disco, great for those dancing but pathetic for spectators!
Motorsport is nothing without the spectacle of noise....can you imagine Drag racing (which would lend itself to recharging) with electric motors instead of Nitro Methane 8000 hp fire breathing monsters? No more watching the engineers rebuild the engines every run....just plugging in the generator. The fans would leave en masse.
Phil R 16 March 2016

I'd agree, but Formula E proves us wrong.

The sound of a 3.5 litre f1 car from the 90's or a screaming V10 from the early 2000's sounds incredible and would definitely be missed. But everyone said the same thing about Formula E, and the spectator numbers have been very strong.
LP in Brighton 16 March 2016

Agreed, it's a perfect fit

Much better than having races which are split up by recharging needs. I expect that the races would be just as spectacular and entertaining, if a bit quieter. So why not?