Rimac Nevera: cutting-edge EV supercar revealed

Stop what you’re doing; this is actually an EV hypercar worth paying attention to. Don’t believe us? How does twice the power of a modern F1 car, a top speed of 412km/h, and the ability to destroy a Bugatti Chiron over 400 metres sound?

Yeah, it got our attention too.

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What you’re looking at is the Rimac Nevera, the latest creation to emerge from one of the world’s most exciting and fastest growing companies.

Based in Croatia and headed up by 33-year-old founder Mate Rimac (we’ve given him honorary Aussie citizenship based on his name alone), Rimac’s expertise and influence goes beyond low-volume hypercars like this one. Porsche owns 24 percent of the company, for example, and such is Rimac’s reputation in the industry that Volkswagen is effectively about to give it control of Bugatti to help create its first EV.

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But back to the Nevera. Named after a fierce electrical storm that sometimes lashes the Croatian coastline, it’s the production-ready version of the Rimac C_Two show car first revealed in 2018. Built around a carbonfibre monocoque that Rimac claims is the largest and stiffest of any car on sale (yet it weighs just 200kg) power arrives courtesy of four electric motors – one per wheel. There are two single-speed gearboxes, one for each axle, which aids with lightning quick torque vectoring.

Outputs sit at a vaguely ridiculous 1407kW/2360Nm which partly helps to explain the Nevera’s ferocious acceleration. Engage launch control and, despite a hefty circa-2000kg kerb weight, the Nevera should hit 0-98km/h in 1.85 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 8.6sec.

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And yes, of course there’s a Drift Mode which gives the rear motors every available kW and sends zero to the fronts.

Helping tame all that performance is double-wishbone suspension all-around and 390mm Brembo carbon ceramics. The range is respectable, too. Rimac says the Nevera’s 120kWh battery (which is shaped like the letter H) has the highest capacity of any yet fitted to a production car and is capable of travelling 550km on the WLTP cycle.

Need a recharge? On a 350kW charger you can juice up from 20-80 percent in 19 minutes.

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Of course, all this doesn’t come cheap. Just 150 Neveras will be made, with a production schedule of one car per week, and each will carry an eye watering price tag of AUD$3.1m. Such is the demand for Rimac’s product, however, that the first 50 are already sold.

Curious about what it’s like to drive? Wait for the July issue of Wheels to read our exclusive test.