It’s been almost a year since the production version of Rimac’s Nevera was revealed (and four years since we first saw the concept), but the electric hypercar is now close to starting deliveries.
Rimac this week announced that it has signed off on the final cold-weather tests for the Nevera, which took place at Pirelli’s Sottozero Center located near the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden. The tests focused on fine tuning of systems like the stability and traction control, as well as the ABS. Rimac also tested the Nevera’s available Pirelli P Zero Winter tire. The standard tires are a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
“Testing on a low grip surface like this allows us to make consistent and accurate observations on how our systems are performing in low temperatures,” Miroslav Zrncevic, Rimac’s chief test and development driver, said in a statement. “Things happen much more slowly than they would do on asphalt, and we have nice, even, smooth handling tracks so we know the data we get isn’t affected by surface imperfections or temperature swings.”
This was the first time the Nevera was cold-weather testing out in the open. Previously, the Nevera was tested in a climatic chamber capable of producing temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit, or as high as 118 degrees. As part of the testing in the climatic chamber, the engineers leave the doors wide open. This exposes all components to the cold, and shows that they can still function.
The climatic chamber can also produce high humidity, and lights can be brought in to reproduce the effect of parking outside on a hot summer day. With the lights on, the interior reached 158 degrees, but the air conditioning was still able to cool it down to 72 degrees with no issues, according to Rimac.
Even low-volume automakers like Rimac need to conduct these kinds of tests to meet global regulations. In addition to extreme-weather testing, Rimac has conducted crash tests, and even tested for electromagnetic emissions.
Rimac Nevera
Rimac Nevera
Rimac Nevera
The Nevera’s four-motor powertrain produces 1,914 hp and 1,740 lb-ft of torque, or enough for 0-62 mph acceleration in a claimed 1.85 seconds, 0-100 mph acceleration in 4.3 seconds, and a top speed of 258 mph. Rimac also quotes a quarter-mile time of 8.6 seconds, making the car quite a bit quicker than even Tesla’s Model S Plaid.
Rimac said the Nevera has also passed all homologation tests for sale in the U.S. market, and that deliveries to customers worldwide should start in the coming months. Just 150 are destined to be built, with the price for one starting at 2 million euros (approximately $2.16 million).
Production will take place at Rimac’s headquarters near Zagreb, Croatia.
