Thursday, February 25, 2016

Sorry, Tesla: The world’s fastest electric car is made in... Croatia?


Croatian car maker Rimac Automobili apparently couldn't contain itself; it just pulled the digital veil off a car that the company claims is the fastest production electric vehicle in the world.
It's called the Concept_One (yes, the underscore is part of the official name). Despite its name, the car is no longer a concept.
Scheduled for an in-the-flesh global debut early next month at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, the Concept_One looks like a Koenigsegg (a Swedish supercar) mated with a Tesla. Funnily enough, it goes like a pairing between the two brands as well.
Thanks to its 1,088-horsepower (provided by an 8,450-cell battery pack), the all-wheel-drive Concept_One will do 0 to 62mph in around 2.6 seconds, with a top speed of around 220 mph. Not only is that fast by, say, Tesla standards, that's fast by any standard. Some aircraft would have trouble keeping up.

Thankfully, it's not all brutal power. The Concept_One can calm down a bit. It offers comfort, control, track and drift driving modes, which means it can adapt to whatever mood you're in, be it a calm, serene one or a "go through the corner sideways" state of mind.
Being a high-tech, high-speed EV, the car also offers a well-equipped interior with a central touchscreen flanked by aluminum and carbon fiber.
Sadly, Rimac only plans to build eight production Concept_One cars. So the chance you'll ever see one in the flesh, let alone ride in one, is very small. Still, it's nice to know there are other people out there trying to push the limits of what an EV can do.