All posts in “rimac automobili”

Rimac C_Two electric hypercar debuts at almost 2,000 horsepower

Rimac Automobili made a name for itself with the Concept_One electric hypercar (and garnered even more attention when Richard Hammond drove one off the side of a hill). Ahead of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, Rimac began teasing its next-generation EV hypercar. Now, the Rimac C_Two, as it is called, has it has arrived in all its electric glory.

It’s powered by four electric motors providing a total of 1,914 horsepower and 1,696 pound-feet of torque. That’ll push it from 0-60 miles per hour in just 1.85 seconds, and to a top speed of 258 mph. It’ll do a quarter-mile in 9.1 seconds. If that seems extreme (and it is) be comforted by the fact that only 150 examples of this electric beast will be unleashed upon the world.

When not driving it as hard as one possibly can, its liquid-cooled 120-kWh battery pack provides about 404 miles of driving range — granted that’s on the generous NEDC cycle. It’s capable of 250-kW charging which can resupply up to 80 percent of its driving range in under 30 minutes. The C_Two has active aerodynamics, including front and rear diffusers, hood flaps, rear wing, and underbody inlets and outlets. These can be adjusted to provide more efficiency and cooling, or to sacrifice some slipperiness for downforce. It’s torque vectoring system also helps with stability.

The C_Two has a suite of sensors designed for eventual Level 4 autonomous driving. It’s equipped with eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, one or two lidar and six radar units. These generate eight terabytes of data every hour. Of course, that full automation will come later, though we don’t imagine customers will be super impatient to have the car take over the driving duties. Until then, the C_Two offers driver assistance features like automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.

Under that beautiful exterior is a carbon fiber monocoque with structural battery pack. The C_Two has a carbon fiber rear subframe and front and rear aluminum crash structures. Mate Rimac said that, in the name of safety, “we are going to crash many of these beautiful cars.” Mate Rimac will also personally test drive each car before they are delivered to customers to make sure they’re up to his standards. Sounds like a dull job.

The butterfly doors provide a large opening to a spacious interior for two. It’s meant as a grand touring car, said Rimac. It has three screens to provide as much or as little information the driver and passenger want to see. Its rear trunk it customizable, or can be eschewed in order to put the electric powertrain on display.

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Richard Hammond and Mate Rimac dish on the hillclimb crash

The internet has been all atwitter – sometimes literally – about Richard Hammond’s crash in a Rimac supercar, wondering what happened, and what comes next. Well, in this video from Drivetribe, Hammond himself, along with Rimac‘s CEO, Mate Rimac, try to put everything to bed.

It’s a lengthy video, and you’ll have to hop to the Drivetribe website to check it out, but it’s worth a look. Hammond gives the whole story about the crash from the very start, through the actual crashing, and through his recovery. As we surmised, he simply overcooked it at the end of his run, which unfortunately led to the crash.

It could have been worse, though. Hammond and Rimac look over photos of the crash that show the TV host narrowly avoided a house on the way down the hill. And according to Hammond, his daughter was not terribly impressed by his injuries, saying “Daddy you look like you’ve fallen over in the playground.”

Despite the crash, Hammond still had positive things to say about the car. He described it as feeling futuristic, and that it makes some great noises. He also praised the strength of the roof structure, which is likely not something other reviewers will have a chance to evaluate.

The video covers other topics, too. Rimac talks about his car and the company, and he states that he hopes the company will become a mass supplier of electric vehicle components. Hammond reveals he morbidly predicted his crash, and he tackles the question of starting a cooking show.

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