Croatia’s answer to America’s Elon Musk and his electric-empire lies in the creation of the Rimac Concept One. Cutting-edge technology and high-end performance combine to produce the world’s first all-electric hypercar, which boasts an almighty1088 horsepower and a 0 to 60 time of just 2.8 seconds, that’s a mere 0.4 seconds behind the Bugatti.
Constructed entirely from Croatian manufactured parts and including 24 patented innovations, it has the power to leave many of the world’s most desirable petrol powered equivalents lagging in its wake.
The all-electric creation can reach speeds in excess of 190mph and has a claimed range of up to 375 miles, thanks to its use of a lithium ion phosphate battery.
The cars mind-blowing power is delivered by a unique combination of four silent, but deadly individual electric motors, one powering each wheel.
Meanwhile the patented AWTV (All Wheel Torque Vectoring) system allows each wheel to be independently operated, ‘we can make 1000 adjustments per second’ Rimac told a Reuters journalist.
The patented system means that when you turn into a corner, the front right wheel can brake for a second, while at the same time the rear left wheel can accelerate at maximum pace and the front wheel does nothing.
The result is the kind of handling that traditional combustion-powered cars could only ever dream of.
It’s not just about performance though, the Concept One is every bit a head turner, it’s long and low riding with a two-tone cherry red carbon fibre clad body.
The car also boasts an equally stunning cream and red leather interior, which has been designed by Supercar specialists Vilner Studio.
Then, there’s a whole host of luxuries that bare the tel tale signs of Rimac’s love for electronics. Traditional wing mirrors have been replaced by cameras, connected by fibre optic cables, there’s also self closing doors and a unique LCD screen that displays dashboard instruments as animated graphics.
Whether you’re a fan of electric cars or not, there’s no denying the infectious enthusiasm of its 25 year young creator, Mate Rimac, who was actually 23, when he first unveiled the car at Frankfurt in 2011.
Speaking to Wired.com, he referred to his uber-impressive creation as ‘a supercar for the twenty-first century’.
Keen to avoid comparisons with Tesla, Rimac has set his sights on the established supercar marques such as Pagani and Lamborghini and confidently says they’ll be as big as Ferrari in 15 years.
He’s also keen to stress that his goal was to build the ‘ best supercar’ not simply the ‘best electric supercar’.
Perhaps most impressive of all is the fact that the Concept One is only the Croatian companies first attempt at a production car, never mind the world’s fastest all-electric hypercar.
Better known for their production of white box drive trains, chassis, batteries and other parts that are then sold on to other car makers, Rimac Automobiles employ 22 people, all of which are Croatian nationals with the exception of their head of sales who came from Tesla Motors.
Of course all this doesn’t come cheap, it’s actually the world’s first £1million dollar electric hypercar too.
Despite only existing as a prototype, albeit a fully functional one, Rimac Automobiles has managed to secure orders from a whole list of wealthy clientele including the Abu Dhabi royal family.
However, those hoping to get their hands on the Concept One any time soon may be a little disappointed, production isn’t set to begin until the 2015 year end and even then it will be limited to just 88 units.
