After 1.6 million hours of development and hundreds of simulations carried out in the laboratory, the Croatian manufacturer Rimac has just broken a historic record for electric cars: reaching the maximum speed of 412 km/h, without the slightest modification or settings other than those present on the car when it left the factory.
If this feat could quite be considered useless, it shows all the same that electric sports cars will have enough to satisfy the appetite of the most passionate and… the most fortunate.
To break this record, the Rimac Nevera is equipped with four electric motors, one per wheel, developing a combined power of 1914 hp and 2360 Nm of torque. A single-stage gearbox connects the front and rear wheels. The motors are powered by a 730-volt lithium-manganese-nickel battery with a capacity of 120 kWh, giving it a range of 550 km WLTP. The Rimac Nevera tolerates a load capacity of 300 kW and goes from 0 to 80% in less than 30 min. The 0 to 100 km / h is shot in 1.9 s.
Behind the wheel was Miro Zrnčević, Rimac’s chief test and development driver. The manufacturer’s team specifically sought out an oval with long enough straights to reach the Nevera’s top speed, and ultimately settled on the Automotive Testing Papenburg circuit in Germany, with two 4km straights. Installations where it is possible to reach speeds above 400 km/h are very rare, cars reaching such speeds being just as rare.
The Nevera has been tuned to its top speed mode, creating an airfoil that balances drag and downforce to provide stability at high speeds. Equipped with Michelin Cup 2R tires homologated for the road, and under the supervision of a Michelin technician in charge of checking their condition, the race for the record could take place.
However, it should be noted that this kind of record will not be reproducible by the 150 customers who will have spent the 2 million euros requested (!) without the prior consent of the manufacturer and on a specifically adapted track. In any case, the Croatian manufacturer offers a publicity stunt that will make a mark, since the Nevera becomes both the production car with the fastest acceleration in the world but also the fastest production electric vehicle.