Another week, another electric hypercar with insane stats

Moderately usable electric cars only seem to have been with us for five minutes, but an arms race to develop and build the fastest and most powerful hypercars is going full steam ahead. Wait, we don’t mean steam do we…

The latest electric hypercar with barely believable figures has been announced by Rimac Automobili, a Croatian manufacturer based in Zagreb. Their creation, unveiled as the Nevera, will produce 1914 horsepower, hit top speeds of 258mph and cost €2 million.

The car was originally revealed as the Rimac C_Two concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018, but three years of development means it’s now ready for production.

Rimac Automobili say the Nevera will have a record breaking 0 to 60mph time of just 1.85 seconds (that’s quicker than an F1 car), and will cover a quarter mile in sub-nine seconds, on the way to a top speed of 258mph. A projected range of 340-miles is expected, with an 80% charge achievable in just 19 minutes.

The usual hypercar limited availability will apply here, just 150 models will be built, with each being personally signed off and tested by Rimac Automobili founder and CEO Mate Rimac.

The Nevera owes its name to a Croatian term for a quick, unexpected and mighty Mediterranean storm. A Nevera is said to be extremely powerful and charged by lightning.

The new release boasts a 34 per cent improvement in aerodynamic efficiency compared to early prototypes, thanks to a comprehensive raft of changes to bodywork, air diffusers and intakes. Design of the bonnet, pillars, diffusers, splitters and radiators have been analysed and refined to further improve airflow and downforce, while cooling has also seen a 30 percent improvement at low speeds.

Active aerodynamics are a key feature, with the bonnet profile, underbody flap, rear diffuser and rear wing moving independently. Switching from high downforce to a low drag mode reduces aero drag by 17.5 per cent for example.

A motor at each wheel, an increasingly common feature on hypercars, will provide the epic power, with the juice provided by a unique H-shaped, liquid-cooled battery containing just under 7,000 cells. The Lithium/Manganese/Nickel creation provides 1.4MW of power, and forms part of the chassis structure, adding 37 percent structural stiffness to the carbon fibre monocoque. The unit is positioned low and central in the car, contributing to a 48/52 front/rear weight distribution.

The monocoque itself features a bonded carbon roof, rear carbon subframe, and utilises the longest single carbon fibre piece in the entire automotive industry. Altogether, the chassis weighs less than 200kg, but has the most rigid structure of any car ever made.

The firm’s all-wheel torque vectoring system replaces a traditional electronic stability program, with the device making over 100 calculations per second to tailor the level of torque available at each wheel.

The Nevera will also feature the highest use of regenerative braking compared to any other car on the market, a steer-by-wire function, and the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Driver Coach.

The two seater has three high-definition TFT screens, with these in place of most of the usual switches and toggles.

“This is it. This is the car I had in mind when I embarked on the ‘impossible’ journey ten years ago,” says Rimac Automobili Founder and CEO Mate Rimac.

“All our hard work has resulted in the Nevera - our record-breaking hypercar. This car was born to outperform, and to raise the bar, redefining the norm for performance cars. And not only in performance – but as an all-around package.

“When we first revealed the C_Two, we set our targets extremely high. There was nothing else that could even come close to matching the car’s cutting-edge electric powertrain and extreme performance. But for us, that was only the starting point.

“Everyone at Rimac is driven by curiosity and a desire to push things to the absolute limit. With its combination of everyday use and 1914hp performance, the Nevera proves what is possible when there are no restraints placed on technology, development, or ambition. We have now unveiled a car that pushes the hypercar market to a higher level, we have utilized the full potential of the electric powertrain today, proving what we’ve always been saying – that electric hypercar, in the form of the Nevera, is beyond exciting, and that is as thrilling on the track, as it is crossing continents.

“We will be making just 150 examples of the Nevera, every single unit crafted in Croatia from passion and admiration for cars.”

Rimac Automobili is a Croatian success story; Mate Rimac converted a 1984 BMW 3 Series E30 to battery power in 2008 when he was just 20 years old. Going from a garage project to 1,000 employees took just 11 years.

The company currently develops high performance electric drivetrain and battery systems for customers including Aston Martin, Porsche, Pininfarina, Hyundai, Kia, Koenigsegg, Renault and many others. An expected growth to 2,500 employees is expected in the coming years, when Rimac moves to a new €200 million base.