If you told us ten years ago that electric vehicles will prevail over hydrogen-powered cars, we would’ve probably called you crazy. But here we are, with the inevitable ICE ban cloud hovering above the industry, and all mainstream automakers chasing after the booming EV segment.
You can kind of blame Tesla on the whole EV boom, arguing that the energy produced to make batteries is often more polluting than the equivalent car powered by dead dinosaurs, yet no matter what you say and do, you cannot stop the inevitable from happening. Like it or not, the future of the automotive industry is (mostly) electric, and autonomous – but that’s a totally different subject.
This has gotten us (okay, me) thinking, if money was no issue, and I had to switch to an electric vehicle, what should that be? I’m no family man (yet), so the number of doors, how big the trunk is, and how many seats it has mean absolutely nothing to me. And since I could pretty much aim for the sky, in theory obviously, why not get the best of the best? But what is the best EV out there? From a performance standpoint, the Rimac Nevera.
Only a few lucky outsiders have had the chance to put it through its paces, and even if you’ve missed their feedback, all you have to do is take a look at the spec sheet to know that this car means business. It doesn’t only want to dominate the hypercar world, but it wants to do that in style, with more power, and neck-snapping performance than the industry has ever seen. Thus, if you think the Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg Regera, Tesla Model S Plaid, and other similar rides are fast, then you will baffled by the Nevera.
Photo: Rimac
Packing four electric motors, it enjoys a maximum of 1,887 hp (1,914 ps / 1,408 kW) and 1,740 lb-ft (2,360 Nm) of torque. And according to the Croatian company behind it, it can hit the 60 mph (97 kph) mark quicker than any other production vehicle out there, in 1.85 seconds. From 0 to 100 mph (0-162 kph), it needs 4.3 seconds, and in 9.3 seconds after takeoff, the speedometer will indicate 186 mph (300 kph). Keep the right pedal pinned to the floor long enough, and it will eventually do 258 mph (415 kph). Oh, and it also holds the quarter-mile record for production cars.
Depending on the outside temperature, driving style, and other factors, the 120 kWh battery pack gives it a range of 340 miles (547 km) on the WLTP cycle. As a result, if you go easy on the throttle, you could enjoy it for a few days straight before having to plug it in again. Imagine going to work daily in something that can eat all other supercars for breakfast, and not having to worry about the surging gas prices. And whenever someone asks you what ‘Nevera’ means, you could tell them that it was named after an unexpected Mediterranean summer storm off the coast of Croatia.
Now, if you’re serious about buying a Rimac Nevera, then you should hurry up and reserve a build slot. That’s because the automaker says that they will only build 50 copies annually, and that the production for the first year has been sold out. As a result, there are around 100 units or so that are still up for grabs. Curious how much the Croatian electric hypercar costs? If you are, then you probably cannot afford it, because it starts at the equivalent of well over $2 million.
So, if money was no object, what would your poison be? Let us know your thoughts about the EV topic in the comments area down below.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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