Croatian EV Supercar Poised for Production

Zagreb, Croatia-based Rimac Automobil says it expects to begin building 88 of its Concept One electric supercars next year.

The $980,000 car, which was unveiled last year at the Frankfurt auto show, is a 3,700-lb two-seater with four electric motors producing a combined 1,088 hp. The motors, which can rev to 12,000 rpm, deliver 2,800 lb-ft of torque. Each unit is rated at a peak power of 250 kW.

The Concept One is powered by an eight-module, 92-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery. Rimac says the car can accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 2.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 190 mph. The company claims the battery has a range of about 370 miles per charge.

Each wheel is independently powered by its own motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. Rimac says the system can adjust the rotation speed of each wheel hundreds of times per second to provide driver-selected handling characteristics. The car is equipped with carbon-ceramic brakes and six-pot calipers in front and four-pot calipers in back.

Exterior styling of the all-carbon-fiber body is marked by prominent exposed carbon-fiber panels on the sides and across the lower half of the rear. The car rides on 20-inch milled aluminum wheels and sports twin rear-facing cameras to compensate for a microscopic rear window.

Inside, the Concept One has very deep bucket seats with extremely high side bolsters and a carbon-fiber-trimmed instrument panel with graphic display instrumentation. Cargo capacity appears to be virtually nonexistent.