Nobody is faster – at least not electrically. The Croatian car manufacturer Rimac has succeeded in setting the record for the fastest production electric car on the ATP test track in Papenburg, Lower Saxony. According to its own statements, the Rimac Nevera drives at an incredible 412 km/h and thus outshines all previously available electric cars. The only possible competitor, the new Tesla Roadster, only exists as a prototype.
In order to reach this enormous speed, the Nevera relies on four electric motors, which bring it to a system output of 1914 hp. The energy is supplied by a 120-kilowatt-hour battery, which, according to the WLTP standard, takes the vehicle around 550 kilometers per charge. Of course, this is no longer the case at speeds in excess of 400 km/h. Unfortunately, Rimac does not state how long the battery would have lasted at top speed – it can’t be much in any case.
In the everyday life of the few customers who could order a Nevera and have the wherewithal, that doesn’t matter anyway. Because for the maximum speed, the vehicle must be unlocked by employees of the company. There should be events that allow driving under controlled conditions. On the road, a Nevera is allowed to drive at a maximum of 352 km/h, after which it is sealed off. There is no question that this is still very fast.
According to the manufacturer, the lock mainly has to do with the tires, because the tires have to be in ideal condition for 412 km/h. In fact, it is possible to exhaust the vehicle with standard tires. For the test in Papenburg, four Michelin Cup 2R tires were used, which are commercially available for 880 euros each.
Rimac’s lead test and development driver Miro Zrnčević was at the wheel during the record drive. He certifies the vehicle’s high stability and is amazed at what a colleague in development has achieved. “A speed of 412 km/h means you’re traveling at a third of the speed of sound. Just achieving that in a road car is incredibly complex. I’ve driven Nevera since he first spun a wheel and it is a really emotional moment to see today’s perfectly polished car.”
However, the company would no longer have needed advertising for the Nevera. The vehicle was presented for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018 and the 150 copies at over one million euros each have been sold out since 2019. This also applies to the Pininfarina Battista, a supercar based on the Nevera and made in Italy since 2020. The need for electric supercars, it seems, is great.
By the way: Rimac does not hold the record for the fastest acceleration. Students from the University of Stuttgart set the mark with a self-built car at 1.461 seconds – well below the 1.86 seconds specified by Rimac. The record for the fastest car ever belongs to another manufacturer – and is still in the hands of the combustion engine. The current record was set by Shelby Supercars’ SSC Tuatara in 2020, reaching 508.73 km/h in the Nevada desert.
