Slicing through the sand, desert winds whip around us as we lean against our grimy rig. Billions of granules exfoliate my dust-encrusted face. Weary and ready to cross the finish line after eight grueling days of competition in the 1,400-mile Rebelle Rally off-road navigation raid, I look at my partner, Emily Winslow, as we begin to locate the final hidden checkpoint.
Our conventional off roader, the all-wheel version of Volkswagen’s new ID.4 electric crossover, rounds out Team Volkswagen. The EV sits at the ready, quietly waiting for more off-pavement opportunities.
We’re dirty but determined as the tiny blue pole—checkpoint #21—stands idle. Rolling dunes separate us from our mark; I carefully position the ID.4 and descend into an off-camber section of soft sand.
The 2021 Rebelle Rally
The Rebelle Rally is billed as the longest competitive off-road rally in the U.S. It offers participants long days, stunning scenery and extreme terrain off-roading across 1,400 miles of desolate desert spanning Nevada and California. For 2021, the sixth Rebelle Rally drew 52 team two-woman teams hailing from 92 cities, 24 states and provinces and five countries. The all-women competition’s finish line is situated in the southeast corner of California at the iconic Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, also widely known as Glamis or ISDRA.
The Rebelle Rally (not “rebel” as some mispronounce), marries off-road driving and precise navigation using old-school wayfinding tools such as a compass, topographic maps and a roadbook. GPS and other navigational technology are not allowed.
During the rally, driver, navigator and vehicle are fight against time, terrain and posted speed limits to find concealed checkpoints. Daily on-time or on-route time-speed-distance rallies are also included. Teams compete in two categories based on vehicle capability: the X-Cross class for all-wheel-drive equipped crossovers and SUVs and the 4×4 class for vehicles with two-speed transfer cases and locking differentials. Duos with the most points at the end of the rally win their respective division.
The Electrification Designation
For 2021, Team Volkswagen stepped into the forefront of EV off-roading. Despite its colorful appearance and limited 260-mile all-electric range, the ID.4 crossover exceeded expectations—especially in extreme conditions. Judging by my experience participating in the 2018 Rebelle Rally 4×4 class, just competing is challenging enough. Layering on the constraints of an all-electric vehicle changes the entire event.
The Electrification Designation, which was created for last year’s rally, brings fully and partially electrified vehicles together to prove off-road prowess. The ID.4 in its all-wheel-drive form also is all-new vehicle that Volkswagen revealed in September. It also was one of two pure electrics. The other, a Rivian R1T pickup, made its second-year appearance. Additionally, two Kia Sorento PHEVs and three Jeep 4xe 4x4s rounded out the electrified category.
Even though EVs are on the cusp of mass market appeal, they’re not yet commonplace in the off-roading world. And the ID.4, even with AWD, is primarily an on-road crossover not meant for hardcore rock crawling. Embarking on long road trips in an EV is still a question mark for non-Tesla EVs (Tesla already has an established charging infrastructure proprietary to its vehicles).
“As a car company, you like anything where diversity is front and center,” stated Mark Gillies, head of Volkswagen Group of America’s product and technology communications. In his eyes, people assume electric vehicles are used for running to shops or soccer matches.
“We’re trying to show you can use them for long range,” Gillies said. “They have capability; there is a charging network in place.”
The ID.4’s off-road chops were first tested when professional driver Tanner Foust completed the 2021 NORRA Mexican 1000 with VW’s rear-wheel-drive ID.4.
“Point-to-point rally, through the harshest conditions one can get on the planet, is a great way to prove a lot of things about a vehicle,” Foust said. “All-wheel-drive systems get proven while climbing on rocks or sand, or navigating the desert of Nevada.”
Range Dictated Everything
Rallying an all-electric vehicle through the desert is difficult, especially in one not yet tested for such a brutal environment. Gone are readily available fuel sources and being able to estimate fuel capacity in unexpected terrain. Cold temperatures and terrain variations can affect an EV’s battery, lessening range reserves. Replacement parts may not be on hand. Other factors, like a vehicle’s ground clearance, limit its capability.
But Winslow and I recalibrated our brains to think in a new way. We added range calculations and constant odometer checks to compass headings (checking direction). We were also able to use regenerative braking to increase overall mileage, feather the throttle to retain ranger versus an “all-or-nothing” approach and adjust tire pressure to ensure optimal off-road grip.
Learning the ID.4’s driving dynamics helped us conquer ground we didn’t dream the EV could handle and regain range when we needed it most. Range dictated everything.
“Riding in the ID4 was a very unique experience,” Winslow said, who also competed in the 2018 Rebelle Rally as well as the 2019 competition. “Once we were familiar with how the battery performed in different types of terrain it let us play: using all the power it had to get through difficult terrain and allowing us to conserve battery in others.”
D or B Mode?
The Volkswagen ID.4 is equipped with various driving modes (Eco, Sport, Comfort) as well as overarching D or B opportunities. D mode, the default driving position, is sufficient for daily activity and is like coasting without the throttle depressed. As the driver presses on the brake, however, regenerative braking sends energy back to the battery.
B mode (or brake mode) increases the amount of regenerative braking, slowing the vehicle while sending energy back to the battery. It works best on tight-and-twisty roads, steep downhill grades, in heavy traffic or off-tarmac terrain where more throttle control is required.
Using B mode is comparable to downshifting in a manual vehicle. It also can act similarly to a 4×4’s low-range gear setting—allowing it to crawl methodically, which is helpful when navigating through rocky, off-camber or tight tracks.
“I loved the B mode for the rough, slow terrain,” Winslow said. “It gave the car a lot of control as we climbed and dipped through technical trails.” The ID.4 was “comfortable to ride in and felt surefooted as we took it in sand and on rocky trails,” she said.
The most notable range gain was on a long, steep, paved descent to the Amargosa River area in Death Valley, California. D mode coupled with careful and conservative driving, added 10 kilometers (6 miles) of additional range.
Range and Terrain
Through calculated and continual analysis, we made smarter decisions to capture and retain more range. The ID.4 rolled into its first charge opportunity with a skeletal range of 6%–we eventually mastered double-digits even when below-freezing morning temperatures took up to 40 kilometers (almost 25 miles) of go-go wattage.
We experienced a wide array of range usage when compared with actual kilometers driven. Ideal pavement conditions in D mode promoted one-to-one readings (one kilometer of range to one actual kilometer driven). Steep and rocky trails with B mode ate up to four kilometers of range to one kilometer driven. Sand dune driving using both modes deducted two to three kilometers of range per one actual traveled.
Although most vehicles were lifted, the ID.4 retained its stock height of 8.2 inches (minus the thickness of the underbody skid plates), but it was still ran the same trails as its bigger counterparts. Thanks to careful maneuvering and cautious tire placement (and Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires), we had zero tire punctures or blow-outs.
In the case of a flat, we carried a full-size spare tire along with four MAXTRAX recovery boards in an oversized roof-mounted Thule rack; we stored two shovels in the interior.
Near Stock
Rhys Millen Racing carefully constructed the near-stock build. Full Kevlar and aluminum skid plates protected the underbody. The radiator, used to cool the battery baseplate and regulate temperature, was pushed back and up several inches to allow for a small tubular front bumper and improved approach angle. Reinforced suspension bits beefed up its off-roadability and interior bracing held a five-gallon water container, off-road floor jack and two fire extinguishers.
Many stock components were retained to showcase the vehicle’s capability. The ID.4’s all-wheel drivetrain, shocks, steering and overall vehicle geometry were untouched.
“Rhys Millen Racing builds some of the gnarliest trophy trucks,” Foust said. “We’re talking $1 million trophy trucks that do the Baja 1000 every year.”
“It was a bit of a departure for them to work on a stock car that didn’t even have a dipstick,” he said.
A winning combination is to accentuate a vehicle’s capabilities while persevering through its limitations. While others suffered broken axles, blown shocks and other mechanical issues, the electrified Volkswagen ID.4 AWD championed its way to the finish line with zero mechanical or battery issues. We finished in 8th place (out of 10 crossover teams) with a slow-and-steady attitude and an insatiable thirst for more.
The ID.4 started the Rebelle Rally as the car that possibly could, and ended up as one that definitely did.
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