By now, most of us have figured out that EVs are fast — but Rimac just demonstrated how fast they can be.
In one outing on a German test track, the Croatian hypercar manufacturer managed to break a full 23 different speed records with its Rimac Nevera. That starts with a blistering 0-60 launch made in a mere 1.74 seconds.
Other records to fall including a launch from 0-400 kmh, or 0-249 mph, and then back down to 0 in just 29.93 seconds. The previous record holder, the Koenigsegg Regera, needed 31.49 seconds to pull it off.
It took the Nevera 1.82 seconds to go from 0-100 kmh, 4.42 seconds to reach 200 kmh, and 9.23 seconds to reach 300 kmh — or 62.5, 125 and 186 mph, respectively.
The Croatian hypercar launched from a standing start to 400 kmh, or 250 mph, in 21.32 seconds. And it hit 200 mph in 10.86 seconds. You can see the full list of records below.
“Growing up I always looked at the cars that made history moving the bar for performance, in awe of the kind of revolutionary technology they brought to the road. That is what is driving me from day one — to develop new technology that redefines what is possible,” said Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of the eponymous company.
One big list
The list gathered by the Nevera is an extensive one, and Rimac bested not only gas-powered exotics like the Bugatti Chiron and the Koenigsegg Agera RS but also the fastest competitor currently available in the electric sector, the Tesla Model S Plaid.
When that was pointed out by Twitter poster #Teslanomics, CEO Elon Musk had a very short response, “LOL.”
The South African-born Tesla and now Twitter chief has been promising to rule the performance world with the second-generation Tesla Roadster but it is — like so many other promised products — quite late to market.
Asked about that by a Tesla shareholder during the 2023 Cyber Roundup, Musk had a bit longer response, saying, “We expect to complete the engineering and design of the next-gen Tesla Roadster this year. Hopefully, start production — and this is not a commitment— but hopefully start production next year.”
Musk has said the Roadster will be capable of launching from a standing start to 60 mph in a neck-snapping 1.1 seconds which could prove a difficult number for anyone else to beat. But, for now, that’s just one of many promises the exec has yet to fulfill. For now, Tesla has to cede bragging rights to Rimac — which is pronounced in Croatian as “Ree-MAHTZ.”
Genesis of Rimac
The company was founded in 2009 by Mate Rimac and is based in Sveta Nedelja, Croatia. Its founder began tinkering with EVs at the age of 19, converting a 1984 BMW M3 to run on battery power.
The company has formed several alliances with more traditional manufacturers in recent years. Porsche Engineering Group acquired a 10% stake in Rimac in 2018. Three years later, Porsche and Rimac announced plans to take over Volkswagen’s Bugatti which is expected to shift away from exotic internal combustion engines to electric propulsion. The agreement gives Rimac a majority 55% stake in Bugatti.
The Croatian automaker has also partnered with the Hyundai Motor Group and will work with the South Koreans “on the development of high-performance electric vehicles.”
Rimac has also worked with Pininfarina which based its new Battista model on the Nevera platform. The Croatian hypercar will cost around $2 million, and Rimac plans to produce only 150 of them — at a rate of one a week.