1073HP Rimac Concept_One Electric Supercar Appears In Production Trim Ahead Of Geneva

By John Halas Feb. 22, 2016 3:00 pm EST

It took Croatian startup Rimac five years to take their Concept_One from study to production car, but it's finally here and we'll see if for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

Just eight units will be made, at an as of yet, undisclosed final price, though, in the past, Rimac had revealed that it was targeting a starting price of around €800,000 in Europe before taxes, which comes to just over $880,000 at today's currency rates.

Only a few things have changed compared to the original Concept_One, mainly cosmetic, with the production car gaining tweaked LED fixtures on both ends, additional vents and a larger diffuser on the rear bumper, conventional door mirrors instead of cameras, and different wheels on the outside.

In the interior, it lost the study's twin screens for the mirrors on either side of the fully digital instrument panel, while getting a new slanted center console that hosts a large touch-screen for the infotainment system and the vehicle's secondary functions. The Concept_One's dynamics and powertrain functions such as the Rimac All Wheel Torque Vectoring System are controlled through physical buttons, machined from billet aluminum.

Rimac maintained the supercar's electric powertrain that includes four permanent magnet electric motors, one for each wheel, located in the center of both axles, delivering a combined 1073hp (1,088PS) and 1,600Nm (1,1795 lb-ft) of torque from zero RPM. What makes Rimac's system stand out is that it includes four gearboxes – a single speed transmission for each of the front motors, and a two-speed carbon fiber double clutch transmission for each of the rear motors.

There's also an All Wheel Torque Vectoring (R-AWTV) system that is claimed to "precisely calculates the optimum torque for each wheel" separately, while also functioning as a traction control, stability control and "electric ABS". It also commands the 4-wheel regenerative braking system that can slow the car down with up to 400 kW of regenerative braking energy or up to 0,6g of deceleration, without activating the carbon-ceramic brakes.

Completing the powertrain is a battery pack designed to deliver 1000 kW or 1MW of power during acceleration.

The Concept_One tips the scales at 1,850kg (4,078 pounds), and is capable of accelerating to 100km/h (62mph) in 2.6 seconds, to 200km/h (124mph) in 6.2 seconds and reaching a top speed of 355km/h (221mph). You can see just how fast the pre-production concept with the same specs is, in this older video where it went up against a Ferrari 458 Spider.

Speaking of his company's first creation, the founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili, Mate Rimac said:

"My goal was to not to create an electric version of existing supercars. I wanted to create technology to make the supercar considerably better in every regard – faster, more fun and more efficient. I wanted to make the supercar of the 21st century."

"The Concept_One showcases performances which were not considered possible for electric cars a few years ago. To reach that level of performance, we first had to develop the technology and then the car. The Concept_One has gone through four iterations from a concept to the production car. In every iteration, we have redesigned almost all systems from scratch in order to achieve the level of performance and quality that we have set for ourselves in the beginning. I am also extremely proud of our vertical integration – the Concept_One is a true Rimac Automobili product – down to the smallest details."

Technical data

Performance

Maximum power: 1088 PS (800 kW)

Maximum torque: 1600 Nm from 0 to 6500 rpm

Top speed: 355 km/h

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) 2,6 seconds; 0-200 km/h 6,2 seconds, 0-300 km/h 14,2 km/h

Braking distance: 31.5m (100-0 km/h)

Lateral g-force: 1.4 g

Charging: 22 kW on-board charger, DC-Combo fast charger (up to 120kW)

Power to weight: 588 HP/T

Dimensions

Weight: 1850 kg

Length: 4187 mm

Width: 1842 mm

Height: 1070 mm

Front tires: Pirelli P Zero 245/35 R20,

Rear tires: Pirelli P Zero 295/30R 20

Weight distribution: 42% front, 58% rear

Battery package

Voltage: 650V nominal

Capacity: 82 kWh

Rimac Automobili Battery and Thermal Management Systems

Chassis

Cro-Mo space-frame with aluminium and carbon fibre semi-stressed members

Front and rear suspension: Double wishbones, fully adjustable, pushrod operated

Hydraulically adjustable ride height

Powertrain

Front: Rimac Automobili D-PM-OC-500 – high speed dual permanent magnet oil cooled motors, 500 kW peak, 12.000 RPM, up to 97% efficiency.

2 single speed gearboxes

Rear: Rimac Automobili D-PM-OC-600 – high speed dual permanent magnet oil cooled motors, 600 kW peak, 12.000 RPM, up to 97% efficiency. Two double clutch two-speed gearboxes.

Rotor and stator oil cooling

Milled aluminium housings

Steering system

Electro-hydraulic servo system

Brakes

Front brakes: Ventilated ceramic discs Ø 390 mm, 36 mm wide. 6-piston callipers, power-assisted.

Rear brakes: Ventilated ceramic discs Ø 380 mm, 34 mm wide. 4-piston callipers, power-assisted.

Up to 400 kW of regen-braking (adjustable)

Safety Systems

ABS

Torque Vectoring with stability function

Safety disconnect systems in case of a crash