Rimac who? Say hello to Mate Rimac founder of Rimac Automobili, a Croatian firm specializing in bringing to the world electric vehicles that can wheelspin madly, make smoke (lots of it) and hurl themselves from standstill off invisible catapults.
Rimac was at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show where the Rimac Concept_One made its debut. The Concept_One is an electric supercar with a new propulsion concept. Rimac Automobili developed a unique powertrain which is divided into four sub-systems, each consisting of one motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. Each of those systems drives one wheel, working completely independent one from the other. It’s called All Wheel Torque Vectoring and it allows a new approach to vehicle dynamics.
With a curb weight of 1650 kg, and 1088 HP, the Concept_One can reach 100 km/h from a standstill in 2.8 seconds and continue to accelerate to the limit of 305 km/h. 92kWh of energy in the Battery Modules delivers enough juice for up to 600 km of range.
The carbon-fibre body is designed by Adriano Mudri who explained, “Exploring the labyrinth of creativity, it was obvious at an early stage that the design had to be simple and clear with a lot of sporty elegance to easily catch up with its competitors in this power & exclusivity class.”
Exterior Design
The side air duct is an the Abstraction of the neck-tie, an original Croatian product (origin: “à la Croate”, “cravate” French word for Croatians), and has two primary functions. It acts as a small air inlet and cover for the electricity plug.
The front-grill features strong voluminous design since its does not need to have a large opening funneling air to cool an internal combustion engine. The Tail lights have a deep 3D tunnel effect and animated indicators for more appeal, also a unique feature for Concept_One.
Design Sketches : Exterior
Interior Design
The interior is designed by a team of former Pininfarina employees, led by Mr. Goran Popović. After the Rimac Automobili Engineering team finished the development and prototyping of the interior parts, Bulgarian automotive interior designers ‘Vilner’ clothed the interior in leather. A high-end infotainment system keeps the driver entertained and informed about the vehicle’s systems.
Design Sketches : Interior
Propulsion & Battery
Rimac Automobili’s unique powertrain is divided into the front and rear sub-system. Each of those sub-systems contains two symmetrical motor-controller-reduction-gearbox units. This enables control of each wheel independently, thousands of times each second, in both directions, and Rimax says, an ‘unforgettable driving experience’. The motors are ‘Liquid Cooled Permanent Magnet’ types generating 250kW each. The batteries are each rated at 92kWh and collectively offer a range of 600km, which again we think would depend on driving conditions.
