The other day when Rimac merged with Bugatti to form Bugatti Rimac, your author learned Rimac’s latest product release was the hyper-fast, limited-run Nevera. So let’s check out an incredibly quick Croatian EV that’s one of the fastest production cars in the world.
Nevera was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018, branded under its development name: Concept Two. The Nevera is the second car in Rimac’s portfolio after the Concept One. You might remember Rimac or the Concept One from a few years ago, as one of them was crashed (and destroyed) by Richard Hammond during season two of The Grand Tour.
A two-seater with butterfly doors, the Nevera is based on a carbon fiber monocoque chassis with its batteries integrated into the structure. Nearly the entire body is also made of carbon fiber, including its subframes and crash protection. Suspension is double wishbone all around, with anti-roll bars front and rear.
The interior doesn’t skimp on equipment, as the Nevera achieves its performance without the stripped-out track car experience found in hypercars of old. In the press example, emerald green paint pairs well with a cognac-ish tan interior. Switchgear appears bespoke.
The Nevera has four electric motors at each wheel, driven by magnets and complete with their own power inverters and gearboxes. No, I can’t explain how that works. The four-wheel-drive system has different power outputs front and rear, with each front motor producing 340 horses, and the rears churning 612. Combined horsepower then is a tidy 1,904 horses. Because electric motors are inherently full of torque, there are 1,740 lb-ft available.
That immense power results in a top speed of 258, reached via 60 miles per hour in 1.85 seconds, 100 in 4.3 seconds, and 186 in 9.3 seconds. It’s nearly as fast as the discontinued Veyron to which it is now related, and its mid-2000s top speed of 267.856 miles per hour. At normal driving speed, Rimac advertises a max range of 402 miles.
Delayed by COVID past its planned 2020 release, the Nevera is presently in its production guise and is slated to enter series production this year. The company plans to build 150 examples, which they’ll sell without any difficulty. According to Car and Driver, each Nevera will ask $2,400,000. Gulp.
[Images: Bugatti Rimac]
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