Volkswagen will call on the expertise of its Motorsport division to develop the battery for the first electric model from its high-performance 'R' sub-brand, it has been revealed.

Speaking at of the GP Ice Race event in Zell am See, Austria, where VW revealed an eR1 electric Golf concept (below) using the drivetrain from its record-breaking ID.R hillclimb car, Volkswagen R boss Jost Capito said that Volkswagen Motorsport would apply experience gained from the ID.R programme to develop a battery suitable for high-performance road cars.

He said: "I believe that our Motorsport guys doing their own batteries in-house is a big advantage we have; brands competing in series like Formula E are given a standard battery. It's not just about the battery itself, it's how the battery is run and how they get power to the motors. It's easy to get the power output of an electric motor to the level you want, so it's batteries, battery management and cooling that will be the big differentiators when it comes to high-performance electric road cars."