You can go (nearly) that fast too, if you have a spare €2 million lying around
Croatian electric car maker Rimac says it has set a new EV speed record, and it's nothing to balk at. The Nevera, its second production vehicle, was just clocked in Germany going a blistering 412 kilometers per hour (258mph).…
That pace – a third of the speed of sound, says test driver Miro Zrnčević – was a target Rimac set when it unveiled the €2 million ($2.1m) supercar in 2018. It wasn't able to verify the vehicle's capabilities until this recent test.
Aside from being a speed demon, the Nevera – which is limited to just 150 vehicles – can go from 0–100km/h in under two seconds. It produces a total of 1,914 horsepower from its four motors, and can reportedly get 330km (about 205 miles) to the charge.
Rimac posted the record-setting run on YouTube, but the video only shows the Nevera come out of a turn as it heads into a straightaway and then hits 412km/h. The video ends after a few seconds of the speedometer hovering between 411 and 412, so it's unclear how long that speed was maintained.
Still, a top speed of 412km/h is impressive – especially for an electric vehicle – and would save busy families valuable time getting to and from the shops.
For comparison, the record for internal combustion production cars, which was set earlier this year by SSC North America's Tuatara, was 474km/h (295mph). In that test, as is standard [PDF] for verified speed record tests, the Tuatara made two runs and an average speed was calculated between the two.
It's unclear how many runs the Nevera made. We've asked Rimac to clarify that and a few other figures.
Unfortunately for would-be multi-millionaire drag racers thinking they'll have a chance to take their Nevera for a record-breaking cruise, that speed isn't possible under normal conditions, the company said.
"The Nevera is delivered to customers with a limited top speed of 352km/h (219mph) but can achieve the 412km/h (258mph) top speed in special customer events with the support from the Rimac team and under controlled conditions," Rimac said.
Only 352 kilometers per hour? Oh, the drudgery.
Those controlled conditions largely pertain to the extreme stress the vehicle's tires are under at that speed, Rimac said, meaning most of the precautions taken for a record-setting run involve making sure the wheels are set up properly.
Rimac's Nevera is now available, if you can handle the price tag, the expense of shipping one from Croatia, and the knowledge you'll only be able to plod along at 352km/h in your consumer model.
If two million euro is too steep, but you still want an electric car that can go almost as fast (according to Elon Musk, who has never been known to exaggerate), there's also the upcoming Tesla Roadster. When that eventually appears, it will reportedly run just $200,000 – quite the bargain.