The all-electric Nevera can accelerate from 0-60mph in just 1.85 seconds, and Rimac claims a top speed of 258mph; Enough to break lots of records!
Not all fully-electric vehicles have been accepted well, but the advent of the concept being incorporated in high-performance cars has added an X-factor to the formula. Take the new Rimac Nevera as an example. It's a car that launches ahead so quickly, you could hurt your neck if you're not braced-in properly, and reaches speeds the Bugatti Chiron would get tired of chasing.
Electrifying hypercars have brought performance into the industry we've never seen before. The Nevera makes 1813hp, and it comes from Croatia, imagined by an ambitious youngster, Mate Rimac, who wants to go faster than the rest of the world, on the track and road.
For the first time ever, the Nevera EV hypercar uses a one-piece carbon-fiber monocoque chassis. The massive, 117.0-kWh battery pack plays a part in the car's rigidity and comprises cells spread under every individual's seat, to save space, making way for a lower seating position. Rimac is just getting started, and it is already a big blow to the OG hypercars!
Weighing in at 5100 lbs, the Nevera is no lightweight boxing champion; it's a sumo wrestler. However, we'd have to admit that it's got the reflexes of the former. Rimac has also equipped the Nevera with tires that grip the road fiercely on the sharpest of mountain curves.
The Nevera can get its energy back at a rate of 300 watts, and it does this effortlessly, without hampering normal driving to recharge its battery. Its $2 million price tag is likely to scare most buyers away, but not those who've got two of each hypercar. Also, with Rimac building just 150 examples, it's going to be a rare sight on the roads.
What does it take to be the world's fastest car? Lots of horsepower, an aerodynamic shape, and a lightweight frame. With the Nevera, as mentioned earlier on, we're not sure about the last bit, but when it comes to the other two, the Nevera can easily stake that claim.
The car uses a four-motor; fully-electric powertrain that makes use of a carbon-sleeved permanent-magnet AC synchronous motor on each wheel, paired with a one-speed direct-drive transmission. A maximum of 1813hp is produced by the motors.
While the motors up-front produce 295hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, the pair at the rear produce 644hp and 664 lb-ft of torque at each wheel. Rimac proudly claims its baby will accelerate from 0-60mph in just 1.85 seconds; nobody ever saw that coming five years ago.
It is most likely the quickest car any journalist has tested on the planet. But we don't see most Rimac owners doing justice to its top speed of 258mph; that sounds ludicrous – and more aptly – rather dangerous, at least on public roads.
Performance was definitely crucial at the time of the Nevera being on the drawing boards, but the company also wanted it to be a hypercar that you could drive fast, feeling comfortable. With production being limited, customers are allowed to choose between all kinds of materials, stitching, and colors to give them the look and feel that best suits their taste.
There's also the carbon monocoque that blends well with the rest of the 'luxurious' cockpit. The carbon is so exposed, you see it on the central console of the dashboard, and around it, covering the steering column. You'll see billet aluminum and suede used inside the Rimac Nevera.
Range in a car with horsepower that can put a Formula racer to shame is highly unlikely to matter so much to someone buying a Nevera. But let's get it out of the way anyway. If you haven't put your foot down on the throttle like it's stuck with glue, the Nevera should return an EPA-estimated range of 205 miles.
Again, like any other EV, it all boils down to the driving style of the well-heeled dude behind the wheel. The huge battery pack is found between and at the back of the seats and the seatbacks, along with added wings of cells that have been arranged across the driver and passenger's side footwells. This also doubles up as a rigid part of the car's chassis.
The bodywork of the Nevera has nothing to point a finger at; it's perfect the way it looks. It's not in-your-face, and the aero bits are part of the design; there's no jutting out obtrusively.
The shape of the hood, the pillars, and the design of the diffusers, radiators, and splitters were designed keeping in mind the best possible airflow and downforce, but without forgetting that the car had to look beautiful.
There are multiple inlets and cooling channels that were designed to ensure the best cooling efficiency for the brake and powertrain systems.
The front hood, rear diffuser, rear wing, and underbody flap, all move independently to provide optimum aerodynamics for driving situations of all kinds. The butterfly doors move away from the car's wide side sill beautifully, allowing for perfect ingress and egress. The Nevera features lightweight, forged alloy wheels.
Source: Rimac
Rehan got published for the first time at the age of 17, having written a feature on a Triumph Herald in print. He uses his writing as a tool to express his fondness for all things automotive even today, aged 28. Collecting scale models is a hobby close to his heart, and he wishes to sprinkle pixie dust on them only to see them grow into full-sized cars. He now represents HotCars.com.
