The Rimac Nevera is one of the hottest hypercars of the moment, so naturally it made an appearance at Jay Leno’s Garage. Rimac also sent over development driver Miroslav Zrncevic to explain the details of the electric superstar.
The Nevera is the production of the Rimac C_Two concept that first appeared at the 2018 Geneva auto show, and successor to the Rimac Concept_One, Rimac’s first electric hypercar. After lots of development work (about 1.6 million hours, Zrncevic reckons) and coronavirus-related delays, the Nevera recently entered production, with the first customer car going to 2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg
.Headline figures include four electric motors generating a combined 1,914 hp and 1,740 lb-ft of torque, which allowed the Nevera to run an 8.58-second quarter mile at 167.51 mph in a 2021 test—a production-car record, Rimac claims. The Nevera also has an EPA-rated 287 miles of range.
The advantage of having four motors—one powering each wheel—is more control over how power is distributed, Zrncevic explains in the video. Rimac’s control system allows for changes in the front/rear torque split, as well as torque vectoring. Those parameters, along with suspension stiffness, steering weight, and accelerator response, are incorporated into five drive modes for different skill levels and situations—including a drift mode.
Like other hypercars from established automakers, the Nevera has a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis. It’s the biggest single carbon-fiber component currently produced by the auto industry, Zrncevic says in the video. Battery modules are housed behind the seats (approximately where the engine would be in traditional mid-engined supercars), in the footwells, and in a central tunnel to keep the center of gravity as low as possible and optimize weight distribution.
Also highlighted in the video are the Nevera’s active aerodynamic elements, encompassing a front-hood flap, underbody flap, rear wing, and rear diffuser. They can be adjusted to add or subtract downforce, and work with side air inlets to aid cooling. Those inlets are shaped like a cravat necktie, a nod to Rimac’s Croatian homeland, where that piece of clothing originated.
Rimac plans to build 150 Neveras at a rate of 50 per year, and priced at approximately $2.4 million each.
With production underway, Rimac will move on to developing cars in concert with Bugatti. Rimac’s car division merged with Bugatti last year to form Bugatti Rimac.
Keyword: Rimac Nevera silently rockets into Jay Leno's Garage