The electric vehicle industry has evolved tremendously over the last decade — from being virtually non-existent to being the most exciting topic in the automotive world. Most gearheads have realized that electric cars are the future and so have manufacturers, which is why we currently have a wide range of EVs to choose from across all automotive segments.
When manufacturers started producing EVs, it didn't take them long to realize the amount of power they could extract from electric motors. We now have several electric supercars in production and development phases that will blow your mind with their crazy performance figures, proving that EVs are not as slow as some gearheads falsely believe. One of the most exciting electric supercars today is the Rimac Concept Two — which was recently renamed to Rimac Nevera. The Concept Two/Nevera is Rimac's second crack at making an electric car, and it shows that the little-known company means business.
10 Made In Croatia
When asked to list the greatest European automaking nations, most gearheads would immediately think of countries like Germany, Italy, England, and maybe France. No one has ever considered Croatia to be an automaking nation, let alone one of the best — until now.
That's because Croatia is home to Rimac Automobili, the company responsible for one of the best electric supercars we have today. Rimac is a small automaker that was founded just 12 years ago by Croatian innovator Mate Rimac in Sveta Nedelja. Rimac started as a battery pack and electric drivetrain systems supplier, but has evolved into a full-on manufacturer of high-performance electric supercars.
9 The Most Powerful Electric Car Ever Built
The venerable Bugatti Veyron shocked the world when it came out in the mid-2000s with a 1,000-hp engine. However, the horsepower figures electric cars have today make the Veyron seem underpowered. Such is the case with the Concept Two.
This car is propelled by four permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel, generating a crazy 1,914 horsepower and 1,740 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful electric car ever built.
8 Advanced Aerodynamic Design
Rimac developed the Concept Two to compete with the best supercars in the world, so they needed to make it as aerodynamic as possible. For starters, the car's design was penned with aerodynamics in mind and has a low-slung body with many curves and vents to make it slippery.
The front hood profile, rear diffuser, underbody flap, and rear wing are controlled by special algorithms that move them independently to improve aerodynamics. When the Concept Two switches from high downforce to low drag mode, it reduces the drag by 17.5 percent, giving it a drag coefficient of 0.3.
7 The Fastest-Accelerating Production Car In The World
What do you get when you put a 1,914-hp electric drivetrain in a carbon-fiber-bodied supercar with a 0.3 drag coefficient? Well, that's a recipe for face-bending acceleration.
The Concept Two takes just 1.8 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph and will go from a standstill to 186 mph in 9.3 seconds, which is truly eye-wateringly fast. At the drag strip, the Concept Two can complete the quarter-mile in a crazy 8.6 seconds, leaving everything else in its dust.
6 An Unusual Transmission System
The transmission system really affects the driving feel of a car, especially when it is expected to transfer almost 2,000 ponies to the wheels. As such, Rimac needed to ensure that the Concept Two's transmission system could handle the task effortlessly.
The Concept Two has one of the most unique transmission systems. It comes with two single-speed gearboxes for the front and a double single-speed gearbox for the rear. According to Rimac, this setup is designed to boost acceleration times.
5 Faster Than The Bugatti Veyron
Although electric cars are much quicker off the line than their gas-powered competitors, they've never been able to compete when it comes to top speed. Most manufacturers limit the top speed to improve mileage. Not Rimac, though.
The Concept Two can achieve a top speed of 256 mph, making it the fastest electric car of all time. Interestingly, the Concept Two is faster than the iconic Bugatti Veyron, which held the production car speed record in 2005.
4 Range Anxiety Is Not An Issue
One of the main reasons why many gearheads are reluctant to buy electric vehicles is range anxiety. Nobody wants to run out of battery with no charging station nearby, especially not in a supercar.
One wouldn't expect a battery pack powering four huge electric motors to last long. But shockingly, the Concept Two has a range of 340 miles on the WLTP cycle. It's one of the longest-range electric cars you can buy today, making it perfect for both long and short road trips.
3 The Concept Two Probably Won't Kill Richard Hammond
In 2017, Richard Hammond crashed a Rimac Concept One — the Concept Two's predecessor — while filming an episode of The Grand Tour in Switzerland. Hammond was going up a timed hill climb course when he ran off the road and tumbled down the hill. Luckily, Hammond escaped with just a fracture on his leg, but the car burst into flames and was totaled.
The Rimac team thought it'd be a good idea to remind Hammond fans of the incident by equipping it with a special fire extinguisher leather strap with the words "In case of hill climb, extinguish fire" embossed. They also improved the Concept Two's handling and overall driving dynamics drastically to ensure even drivers as bad as Hammond can control it.
2 The Concept Two Has Self-Driving Capabilities
The race for the autonomous driving industry is on, with companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Cruise leading the way. Although most governments are yet to approve self-driving technology on public roads, some manufacturers are equipping their cars with the technology needed to make autonomous driving possible.
The Concept Two is technologically capable of Level 4 autonomous driving. This means that it has full self-driving capabilities, but drivers can still request control whenever they need to drive.
1 The Concept Two Is Extremely Rare
As anyone would expect for such a powerful and technologically advanced car, the Concept Two will be rare. Rimac released the first production prototype in August 2021, and it plans to produce just 150 examples.
The Concept Two is currently going through the process of homologation for the global market, and once that's done, Rimac plans to manufacture it in Croatia at the rate of roughly one per week. Each car will cost $2.4 million, making it one of the most expensive EVs.