Soleil EV Weekly Gazette

RIMAC NEVERA: Not A Concept Anymore

Twenty-three year old Mate Rimac introduced the Rimac Concept 1 at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2011. This was his 1,100hp electric car that he was going to build and take on Bugatti, Pagani and Koenigsegg. The car would be entirely designed and built in Croatia, with a company two years old, started in his parents garage.

The press were sceptical to say the least; "don't hold your breath" was the general consensus.

Not anymore. In fact the journalists who were given an opportunity to blast Rimac's newly launched Revera down an airstrip had difficulty coming up with anything to say that wasn't an expletive. One guy did have trouble breathing after completing the quarter mile in 8.6 seconds - significantly faster than a Bugatti Chiron. The Ferrari SF90 Stradale that was brought along for a drag race wasn't even remotely in the same league.

Rimac originally had Saudi backers who wanted the company to re-locate to Saudi Arabia. Mate wanted the company to stay in Croatia so he gave up the money, and had no 'plan B'. He had developed significant expertise in high-performance Electric Vehicle powertrains, so to continue funding the development of his Hypercar, he started consulting to other vehicle manufacturers.

Rimac could not only develop electrical components but they could rapid prototype them as they did all the work in house. They had no choice as there was no automotive industry in Croatia.

It wasn't long before the big players figured out that this kid was a genius. Investment flowed in from Porsche and Hyundai totalling several hundred million Euros.

Rimac designed the battery pack and hybrid drive for the Aston Martin Valkyrie (above) which was developed in conjunction with Red Bull Racing and Adrian Newey. Newey has won ten F1 Constructor Championships for cars that he designed, and presumably knows competence when he sees it.

The storied Italian design house Pininfarina, eschewed a Ferrari drivetrain for their new Battista Hypercar (above), and purchased the carbon tubs, battery packs and electric drivetrains from Rimac. The price for suppling the Battista's 150 production run was ninety-one million (USD). The Battista, which has more than a passing resemblance to current Ferraris, will essentially be a re-bodied Rimac Nevera.

Rimac now has over 1000 people on staff and is building a new campus in Croatia for 2,500 people. From absolutely nothing, Mate Rimac has built up a company that is a world-leader in high-performance electric vehicle powertrains. The new Nevera is his showcase.

2009: In his parents garage, Mate's swapped out the combustion engine from his E30 BMW for a 600hp electric machine, and broke the FIA world record for the fastest accelerating electrically powered vehicle.

2011: Rimac Automobili reveals the Concept 1 Hypercar at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Claims 1,100hp and the fastest accelerating car ever. Nobody believes him.

2017: Rimac gives the Concept 1 to Amazon's 'Grand Tour'. They drag race it against a Lamborghini Aventador S and an Acura NSX. Clarkson exclaims, "That Rimac just F**k's off."

Hamond later crashes the car on a hillclimb - the car flies off the road, rolls down hill and catches fire. Hammond fractured his knee but was otherwise ok. The fire takes five days to extinguish.

2020: Rimac Concept 2 launched and undertakes global homologation, reliability trials and crash testing.

2021: Named after a sudden, unexpected and fierce Adriatic storm, the production-ready Nevera was introduced in June 2021, with a planned run of 150 units @ 2 Million Euros each.

Full suite of driver aids including LIDAR, digital driving coach, facial recognition security, interior cameras, connectivity and expensively trimmed interior make this a GT car.

NEVERA Tech

1,914hp, 0-100km/hr < 2 seconds, Quarter Mile in 8.6 sec,

Top Speed > 400km/hr, 600km Range, 2M Euros, 150 copies

Rear axle powertrain with twin 500kW motors and single-speed reduction gearbox. High rpm (18,000), high torque motor eliminates need for 2-speed gearbox. Stacked twin inverters separated by cooling plate. 1,340hp from this compact unit alone!

Front axle powertrain completely separate from rear with separate cooling system. Twin 200kW front motors and reduction gearbox give another 537 hp. Total system hp over 1,900hp.

Battery pack scalloped to provide low seating position. 120kWh battery pack designed for both high power density for acceleration and high energy density for range.

4 motors individually controlled, eliminating the need for differentials, and allowing the ultimate flexibility for drive modes and torque vectoring.

Carbon fibre tub is in a single piece - Rimac claims the largest in any car. Active aerodynamics, suspension tuned for comfort and refinement as well as out-right performance. This is a GT car, not a thinly veiled race car or homologation special.