Electric Cars and Breaking Speed Records
While we spend more time on GreenCars talking about how electric cars can save you money as well as help reduce your carbon footprint, the other major benefit of electric propulsion is speed. While batteries can be heavy, electric motors’ instantaneous torque, and the inherent simplicity of EV drivetrains, mean that electric cars can offer searing, supercar-beating performance. And there’s no better example of that than the Rimac Nevera, a $2-million electric supercar that can outperform any gas-powered vehicle on the planet. And now, thanks to independent certification, the Nevera legitimately holds 23 world performance records.
The most shocking figure of all the records is the Nevera’s incredible demonstration of straight-line performance and braking. In the 0-400-0 km/h test, or 0-249-0 mph for us, the Nevera recorded a scarcely believable time of 29.93 seconds. Over a second quicker than the previous record holder, the Rimac was able to accelerate to nearly 250 mph and stop again in less than 30 seconds!
The Rimac Nevera: 0-60 in 1.74 Seconds
But that was just the start of things for what is the world’s fastest car. On the Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) test track in Germany, the Nevera was able to break 22 more records in a single day – which is a record in and of itself – effortlessly smashing previous records and also running flawlessly under full throttle without losing significant performance due to overheating or stress. The Rimac set new records in more than a dozen acceleration tests from a standing start up to 400 km/h. Its 0-60 mph time was a crazy 1.74 seconds – handily beating its claimed 1.85-second time, and quick enough to out-accelerate a Formula 1 car.
Acceleration tests were also conducted at speed. 100 to 200 km/h, or approximately 62 to 124 mph, took just over 2.5 seconds, a new record, and the 200-300 km/h sprint took less than 5 seconds. Braking was also measured, and records were broken for 0-100-0, 0-200-0, and 0-300-0 km/h in addition to the headline 0-400-0 km/h run.
Fully Street Legal
Even more impressively, the records were set by a fully production-ready street car with a full interior and road-legal Michelin Cup 2 R tires, on asphalt that had not been specially prepared for the occasion. Third-party verification teams from data-logging companies Dewesoft and RaceLogic were on site to record the records being broken.
The full list of records makes for an interesting read, so here it is:
- 0-60 mph: 1.74 s
- 0 -100 km/h: 1.82 s
- 0-200 km/h: 4.42 s
- 0-300 km/h: 9.23 s
- 0-400 km/h: 21.32 s
- 100-200 km/h: 2.59 s
- 200-300 km/h: 4.81 s
- 200-250 km/h: 2.00 s
- 100-0 km/h (distance): 29.12 m
- 0-100-0 km/h: 4.03 s
- 0-200-0 km/h: 8.85 s
- 0-300-0 km/h: 15.68 s
- 0-400-0 km/h: 29.94 s
- ¼ mile: 8.26 s
- 1/8 mile: 5.46 s
- ½ mile: 12.82 s
- Standing mile: 20.62 s
- 0-100 mph: 3.23 s
- 0-120 mph: 4.19 s
- 0-130 mph: 4.74 s
- 0-250 mph: 21.89 s
- 60-130 mph: 2.99 s
- 0-200 mph: 10.86 s
What is the Rimac Nevera?
Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Rimac is a specialist supercar manufacturer known for its high-tech solutions, especially in the areas of electrification, EV software, and autonomous driving. The Nevera is its second all-electric supercar, built on the company’s proprietary battery system, powertrains, and software. Four electric motors power each of the wheels individually, producing over 1,900 horsepower. Because each wheel has its own motor, the Nevera is able to minutely adjust power output at each corner for more stable handling and precise response.
All of the Nevera’s systems are overseen by a complex, Rimac-designed suite of electronic control units. They speak with NVIDIA Pegasus-based on-board supercomputer to calculate and send output to the four powertrain systems 100 times a second. In addition to being capable of time-warp speeds, the Nevera’s 120-kWh lithium-manganese-nickel battery also gives it a decent touring range of over 300 miles, and enough energy to do a few sessions at a racetrack, should its owners so choose. The Nevera is packed with tech, including all of the driver aids you would expect, as well as an AI driving coach that can show you the fastest way around a corner.
Electric is the Performance Benchmark
While the Nevera is out of reach for all but the wealthiest of us – and the 150 examples the company will produce are sold out anyway – its record-breaking performance signals that the transition to electric mobility isn’t something we should be afraid of. Even the most dyed-in-the-wool performance car enthusiasts will find it hard to resist a car that’s this fast and this capable.
