Video: 258mph Rimac Nevera breaks EV speed record

The Nevera’s 1,914PS (1,408kW) quad-motors were put hard to work, given the track features just two four-kilometre straights. Miro Zrnčević, Rimac’s chief test and development driver, said that the car was "composed and stable, confirming that our aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics teams have done an amazing job". 

It’s been four years since the Nevera’s design was revealed in the C_Two concept. Since then, it’s taken around 1.6 million development hours to get the car to its production-ready state. In order to achieve its v-max, the Nevera has to be put into top speed mode, which balances the aerodynamic profile for high-speed stability and unleashes the full potential of the motors. Customer Neveras are delivered with a limited 219mph top speed, though this can be lifted for special customer events, with support from the Rimac Team. 

The car’s top speed joins its record-breaking 8.582-second quarter-mile run, achieved in 2021, which made it the world’s fastest accelerating production car. As it sits, with this speed it’s achieved now, it’s one of the fastest cars in production right now, joining its sibling the Bugatti Chiron (which isn’t long for this world), the SSC Tuatara and the Hennessey Venom F5.

Koenigsegg are set to join the party next year, with the Jesko Absolut taking a run at the overall fastest production car record. At present, the Agera RS retains the record for the two-way average, at 277mph, while the Chiron SuperSport 300+ is verified for a 304mph v-max.

“To travel at 412kph, or 258mph, means travelling at a third of the speed of sound”, Zrnčević said.

“Simply achieving that alone in a road car is incredibly complex, but in Nevera we have created a car that can travel long distances on a single charge, can tackle tight and twisting race tracks and can drift as well as break straight-line speed records, both for acceleration and V-MAX.”