The electric, 1,914-horsepower Rimac Nevera has accelerated its way to the book of records. The limited-edition coupe reached 258 miles per hour (approximately 412 kilometers per hour) on a test track in Germany and became the fastest production electric car in the world.
Croatia-based Rimac ran into the same issue as Bugatti, Koenigsegg, SSC, and other companies who want to explore a car's upper limit. Finding a track suitable to drive at jaw-dropping speeds is easier said than done. The firm chose the Automotive Testing Papenburg track in the north of Germany, near the border with Holland. It's an oval circuit with a pair of 2.5-mile straights that are perfect for high speeds.
Rimac dialed in the Nevera's top-speed mode, which strikes a balance between minimum drag and maximum downforce, and it notes the record-breaking car wore street-legal Michelin Cup 2R tires. Miro Zrnčević, Rimac's chief test and development officer, set the record. While the company was thrilled with the result, 258 mph is exactly the speed that it expected to reach when it started developing the Nevera.
"The most important thing I have learned during the top-speed attempt is how composed and stable the car was — confirming that our aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics team have done an amazing job," Zrnčević said in a statement.
Rimac has started delivering the Nevera, but don't expect to see one fly by at 250-plus mph on the German autobahn. The car's top speed is electronically limited to 219 mph (352 kph), though owners will be able to unlock its full potential at special events organized by the company.
This isn't the first time the Nevera has made headlines with speed: It ran an 8.583-second quarter-mile at 167.51 mph in August 2021.
