Croatian EV maker Rimac claims a speed record of 412 km/h • The Register

Croatian electric car maker Rimac says it has set a new speed record for electric cars and there is nothing wrong with that. The Nevera, his second production vehicle, has just been measured in Germany at a breathtaking 412 kilometers per hour (258mph).

That pace — a third of the speed of sound, says test driver Miro Zrnčević — was a goal Rimac set itself when it unveiled the €2 million ($2.1 million) supercar in 2018. Until recently, the company could not verify the capabilities of the vehicle testing.

Aside from being a speed demon, the Nevera – limited to just 150 vehicles – can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under two seconds. It produces a total of 1,914 hp from its four engines and can reportedly travel 330 km (about 205 miles) before charging.

Rimac posted the record run on YouTube, but the video only shows the Nevera coming out of a corner as it turns onto a straight and then hits 412 km/h. The video ends after a few seconds where the speedometer hovers between 411 and 412, so it’s unclear how long that speed was maintained.

Still, a top speed of 412 km/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 production ICE cars set by SSC North America’s Tuatara earlier this year was 474 km/h (295 mph). In this test as it is the standard [PDF] For verified land 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 asked Rimac to clarify this and a few other numbers.

Meet the governor

Unfortunately for wannabe multi-millionaire drag racers who believe they have a chance to take their Nevera on 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 352 km/h (219 mph) but can reach the top speed of 412 km/h (258 mph) at special customer events with the support of the Rimac team and under controlled conditions” said Rimac.

Only 352 kilometers per hour? Ah, the drudgery.

Those controlled conditions largely relate to the extreme stress the car’s tires are subjected to at that speed, Rimac said, meaning the most precautionary measure for a record run is to make sure the wheels are properly adjusted.

Rimac’s Nevera is available now if you can handle the price, the cost of shipping from Croatia and the knowledge that you can only plod along at 220 mph in your consumer model.

If two million euros is too steep for you, but you still want an electric car that can drive almost as fast (according to Elon Musk, who was never known for exaggerations), you can also come with the upcoming Tesla Roadster. When that finally comes out, it will reportedly only cost $200,000 – quite a bargain. ®