watch
now
MALIBU,
California
–
The
most
amazing
thing
about
the
$2.1
million
Rimac
Nevera
is
how
easy
it
is
to
just
get
in
and
drive.
The
Nevera
is
an
electric
hypercar
from
Croatia.
It
sits
low
—
very
low
—
to
the
ground,
and
at
first
glance
it
looks
like
the
simple
act
of
getting
into
it
could
be
complicated.
But
the
doors,
which
lift
up
and
out
sort
of
like
a
Lamborghini’s,
cut
into
the
roof
just
enough
to
ensure
that
I
don’t
bump
my
head
as
I
drop
myself
into
the
driver’s
seat.
Getting
underway
does
take
a
little
bit
of
learning.
Gears
are
shifted
with
a
big
knob
to
the
left
of
the
steering
wheel,
the
power
seat’s
adjustments
are
hidden
in
a
touchscreen,
and
switches
for
the
turn
signals
and
headlights
are
mounted
directly
on
the
steering
wheel.
But
once
you’ve
got
that
down,
it’s
simple
to
operate.
The
whole
car
is
like
that
—
simple
to
operate
—
its
1,914
horsepower
notwithstanding.
One
of
the
first
things
I
noticed
as
we
got
underway
is
that
it’s
easy
to
see
out
of
the
Nevera.
That’s
not
a
given
with
cars
like
this.
For
example,
in
Ferraris
and
Lamborghinis
and
other
low-slung
highway
rockets,
it’s
often
a
challenge
to
see
what’s
behind
you.
But
while
the
Nevera
is
definitely
low
slung,
there’s
just
enough
of
a
rear
window
to
make
it
easy
to
drive
in
highway
traffic.
Good
side
mirrors
certainly
help
with
that.
There’s
also
just
enough
mechanical
noise
to
remind
you
that
you’re
in
a
hypercar.
There
may
not
be
an
engine,
but
there
are
four
electric
motors
and
they
make
mellifluous
mechanical
sounds
as
the
car
moves
down
the
road.
Not
so
loud
that
I
couldn’t
converse
with
my
passenger,
Rimac’s
Ryan
Lanteigne,
in
a
reasonable
talking
voice.
It
is
just
loud
enough
to
remind
us
that
we’re
driving
in
something
special.
And
the
Nevera
is
very
special
indeed
—
as
it
should
be
for
its
just
over
$2
million
asking
price.
You’ll
see
why
in
the
video.
The
Rimac
story
Rimac
—
pronounced
REE-mahtz,
roughly
—
is
Croatia’s
first
and
only
automaker.
Its
35-year-old
founder,
Mate
(MAH-ta)
Rimac,
started
tinkering
with
electric
vehicles
after
he
blew
the
engine
in
an
old
BMW
he
raced
as
a
teenager.
After
rebuilding
it
with
an
electric
drivetrain
—
and
winning
some
races,
besides
—
he
founded
Rimac
Automobili
in
2009,
hoping
to
one
day
build
an
electric
supercar
in
his
home
country.
Although
Rimac
the
company’s
first
years
were
a
struggle,
Mate’s
timing
turned
out
to
be
excellent
in
retrospect,
with
automakers
around
the
world
moving
to
electrify
their
fleets.
Rimac
Nevera
Rimac
Rimac’s
early
prototypes
were
impressive
enough
to
attract
significant
investments
from
Hyundai
and
Porsche,
and
it
raised
another
500
million
euros
(or
about
$534
million)
last
year.
Those
served
as
the
foundation
of
what
is
now
a
thriving
business
consulting
to
traditional
automakers
eager
to
build
high-performance
EVs.
Aston
Martin
and
Swedish
supercar
maker
Koenigsegg
are
among
Rimac’s
clients,
along
with
a
number
of
others
that
the
company
says
it
can’t
yet
disclose.
The
Nevera
is
named
for
the
fierce
summer
storms
that
roll
into
Croatia
from
the
Adriatic
Sea.
(Rimac
employees
like
to
say
that
neveras
—
the
storms
—
are
“extremely
powerful
and
charged
by
lightning,”
just
like
their
car.)
The
Nevera
(the
car)
serves
both
as
a
rolling
display
of
Rimac’s
EV
expertise
and
as
the
supercar
that
Mate
Rimac
has
long
dreamed
of
building.
It’s
a
four-motor
design
—
one
for
each
wheel
—
with
a
120
kilowatt-hour
battery
pack,
enough
for
about
300
miles
of
range
under
normal
driving
conditions.
Four
motors
and
a
cravat
But
there’s
nothing
normal
about
the
Nevera’s
power
output.
Those
four
motors
give
it
a
total
of
1,914
horsepower,
and
2,360
newton-meters
of
torque
—
enough
for
a
top
speed
of
258
miles
per
hour.
Zero
to
60
miles
per
hour
takes
just
1.74
seconds,
according
to
Rimac.
I
didn’t
verify
that
time
with
any
great
accuracy,
but
I
can
attest
that
such
a
power
thrust
is
plausible.
As
friendly
as
it
is
to
drive
in
traffic,
the
Nevera
is
almost
unbelievably
quick
when
fully
uncorked.
But
it
never
feels
uncontrollable,
and
that’s
a
significant
engineering
achievement.
Even
more
impressive,
albeit
more
subtle,
is
the
way
those
four
motors
work
together.
The
car’s
systems
adjust
each
motor’s
power
output
100
times
a
second
to
ensure
optimum
handling
moment
to
moment.
Or,
put
another
way,
the
Nevera
blasts
through
and
out
of
tight
corners
without
hesitation.
That’s
a
trick
that
other
supercars
can
only
emulate
with
braking.
It’s
an
even
more
impressive
trick
given
the
car’s
weight,
around
5,100
pounds.
But
as
hard
as
it
might
be
to
believe,
that
weight
is
so
well
packaged,
with
the
batteries
mounted
low
and
close
to
the
Nevera’s
center,
that
it’s
hardly
noticeable.
(Of
course,
the
tremendous
power
on
tap
helps.)
It’s
a
good-looking
car,
too,
low
and
radical
but
not
over
the
top.
Civilized.
It’s
well-made,
with
flawless
carbon
fiber
on
the
outside
and
comfortable
leather
throughout
the
interior.
Croatia
doesn’t
have
a
tradition
of
car
making,
but
the
Nevera
does
reflect
some
national
pride:
In
addition
to
the
car’s
name,
the
intakes
on
its
sides
are
styled
to
resemble
a
cravat,
the
ancestor
of
the
modern
necktie
—
a
Croatian
invention
dating
to
the
16th
century.
The
Nevera
starts
at
2
million
euros,
or
just
over
$2.1
million.
If
that’s
in
your
price
range,
speak
up
soon.
Rimac
says
it
plans
to
build
just
150
of
them.
