The trick, as you might imagine, was to save weight. Unlike the Pikes Peak variant, the ID.R at Goodwood was optimized for a "sprint" -- it carried a smaller battery pack tuned for a brief but fierce assault up the 1.16-mile hill. There won't be too many complaints given that an F1 car set the previous best, but this is a reminder that it still requires a lot of work for an EV to emerge triumphant.

As with VW's other record-breaking runs, this is ultimately a media campaign. VW wants to show that it's a big supporter of electric cars, and that its diesel emissions scandals are firmly in the past. Few things demonstrate that quite so clearly as proving that EVs can outperform gas-guzzlers in some of the toughest motorsport challenges on the planet.

Update 7/6 3:05PM ET: That earlier 41.18-second record? That was really just a warm-up. Dumas has bested himself with a 39.9-second run up the hill. We've updated the post and video accordingly.