Croatian hypercar marque Rimac Automobili introduced the C_Two as a concept a little over three years ago and now it’s unveiling the final version of its all-electric hypercar. Named after a Mediterranean storm, the Nevera has been subjected to a multitude of changes since its early days, resulting in a 34 percent boost in aerodynamic efficiency compared to early prototypes.
Enabling “Low Drag” mode reduces the drag coefficient to 0.30 while changing back to “High Downforce” boosts downforce by a whopping 326 percent. The sleeker body has also been fine-tuned for better cooling efficiency of the powertrain and brakes. At low speeds, a 30 percent improvement has been achieved, and seven percent once the Nevera reaches higher velocities.
Powered by a 120kWh battery pack, the Nevera uses four electric motors one for each wheel to put down an almost unbelievable 1.4MW of power, which Rimac says is roughly equivalent to 1,914 horsepower. The quad-motor setup can push the car to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just 1.85 seconds. It has a top speed of 258 miles per hour.
What’s more, Rimac says one of the things it worked on over the last three years was improving the battery pack’s liquid cooling system, meaning drivers can use that peak power for longer before the batteries start to complain.
To make sure drivers have a fighting chance at controlling that amount of power, Rimac developed a new all-wheel torque vectoring system that basically acts as both an electronic stability and traction control system. The software can make “over 100 calculations per second to tailor the level of torque to achieve the desired driving style,” Rimac says in the press release for the Nevera. Braking in a car like this is also important, and Rimac has designed the Nevera to be able to dynamically adjust the balance of the braking force between the friction brakes in the wheels and the regenerative braking made possible by the electric motors.
Rimac has developed an “AI driving coach” feature that leverages the Nevera’s 12 ultrasonic and six radar sensors, as well as 13 cameras to help “optimize and enhance the driver’s on-track performance.” It does this by providing track-specific audio and visual cues for when to brake for, where to turn into, and when to accelerate out of a corner.
Of course, very few people will have to worry about whether they can properly pilot a Nevera. Rimac is only making 150 of them, and they’ll each start around $2.4 million.
Being an electric vehicle that prioritizes performance over anything else, range will be a concern for those who are actually going to use the hypercar. Rimac has fitted a large 120-kWh battery it says has enough juice for a targeted range of 550 kilometers (342 miles) in the WLTP cycle. It goes without saying pushing those four electric motors will deplete the battery much quicker, but that’s a first-world problem we’d love to have.
Once you’re out of energy, the Nevera needs 22 minutes to charge from 0 to 80 percent by supporting an impressive 500-kW fast-charging. Rimac developed the battery pack all on its own as an integral part of the hypercar, adding 37 percent structural stiffness to the carbon fiber monocoque. The whole car weighs 2,150 kilograms (4,739 pounds), distributed 48/52 front/rear.
There is a growing stable of absurdly priced electric hypercars that can make nearly 2,000 horsepower. Lotus has the Evija, while Pininfarina has the Battista. There are a few hybrid options in this class, too. What’s made Rimac unique is that it really was a sort of go-it-alone effort, one that Mate Rimac built from the ground up.
That said, Mate Rimac says in the press release for the Nevera that it “is the car I had in mind when I embarked on the ‘impossible’ journey ten years ago.” His company now has backing from Porsche, which is reportedly working with Rimac to make electric hypercars for the German automaker’s sibling brand, Bugatti. Hyundai has also tossed Rimac some coin. While the Nevera looks like a truly thrilling electric hypercar, the most exciting thing about what Rimac’s been doing for the last decade might be whatever comes next.
