When Life Gives You Lemons, Make A Charger For The VW ID R Race Car

BY Michael Gauthier | Posted on

The Volkswagen ID R shattered the previous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record by nearly 16 seconds and it’s probably the only model to ever attempt the feat after being charged with the help of lemons.

Before you invoke the lemon law, we’re not kidding as Volkswagen enlisted YouTuber Mark Rober to build a unique charging system for the model. While the company used generators during their record breaking Pikes Peak run, Rober decided to go with something a tad less conventional.

Since Volkswagen didn’t layout any plans, Rober thought it would be cool to “charge it up using one of those science fair lemon batteries.” Since charging a car would require a significant number of lemons, Rober decided to go all out and build the world’s largest lemon battery.

After building an assortment of specially designed racks, Rober and William Osman picked up 1,232 “class two” lemons which couldn’t be sold in stores. After installing the lemons on the racks, they were only able to produce 5 volts. This is obviously pretty bad and not nearly enough to power the car.

Rober let the lemons charge a battery for a couple days and this only produced about as much power as a single AA battery. Since the ID R is a race car and not a toy car, this wasn’t going to work.

In order to compensate for the power gap, Rober built a rechargeable zip line which fed power to a drill battery. This still wasn’t nearly enough power so he installed solar panels on the roof of his garage. After a few days, this ended up fully charging the car’s battery.

Toyota Invests $1 Billion In Grab Ride-Hailing Firm

Toyota and Hyundai are investing in Southeast Asia’s Grab.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make A Charger For The VW ID R Race Car

Yes, lemons can help charge the ID R but it’s not worth it.
Final Dodge Viper And Challenger SRT Demon Sell For $1 Million

Despite bring in a million dollars, the cars were a bit of bargain compared to the first Challenger Hellcat.
DARPA’s Reconfigurable Wheel-Track Transforms From Wheel To Track In Two Seconds

The Reconfigurable Wheel-Track provides “instant improvements to tactical mobility”.
BMW Gives Canada A Sinister Looking Alpina B7 Exclusive Edition With 600 HP

The BMW Alpina B7 rockets from 0-62 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
2019 Porsche 911 Speedster Captured Undisguised, Stays True To Concept

The new 911 Speedster is expected to use a GT3-sourced 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine .
Tesla Semi Test Vehicles Are Equipped With Puzzling ‘Mad Max’ Mode

The Tesla Semi comes with a surprising Easter Egg that might or might not make it into production.
Jeep Wrangler Tumbles Down The Road After Driver Panics During Lane Change

The driver was wearing a seat belt and was very lucky not to sustain serious injuries.
Forza Horizon 4 Car List Leaks, Includes Over 450 Vehicles

Those with PC pre-orders have already been able to download, but not play, the game.
Hardcore McLaren 600LT Laps The Nurburgring Before June 28 Debut

The most extreme Sports Series ever looks extremely aggressive thanks to its aero add-ons.