Electric-car engineer claims 0-100km/h in less than one second is achievable in the future

Croatian electric hypercar specialist Rimac claims a 0-100km/h time of less than one second is possible in the future – enabling such a vehicle to accelerate to the speed limit in less than half the time as a Formula One car (which takes about 2.6 seconds to hit 100km/h).

When US publication The Drive asked Rimac’s chief engineer, Matija Renić, what acceleration times could be achieved, the response was quick.

“Below one second,” said Renić.

To put this in perspective, the world's fastest-accelerating production car – the Rimac Nevera – is capable of achieving 100km/h from a standstill in just 2.1 seconds.

A Formula One car takes closer to 2.6 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100km/h. A Volkswagen Golf GTI can complete the sprint in 6.3 seconds.

Should Rimac be capable of producing a vehicle which can accelerate this fast, the person behind the wheel would experience g-forces of approximately 2.8G – forcing them back into the seat with the equivalent of nearly three times their body weight.

For comparison, astronauts are subjected to about 3G on take-off.

Drivers of Top Fuel drag racers endure 4G for more than four seconds during their top-speed runs, although the world's fastest drag cars can also launch from zero to 160km/h in eight-tenths of a second.

Drag cars can also achieve these blistering times thanks to their 7000kW-plus supercharged V8 engines, aerodynamic bodies and bespoke, grippy tyres – none of which are found in road cars.

In his interview with The Drive, Renić said while the Rimac Nevera’s record acceleration time and outputs of 1427kW/2360Nm are an obvious talking point, the electric hypercar is not solely focused on straight-line speed.

"The car is very fast, honestly," Renić told The Drive. "Figures here and there, we are very proud of them, but the car is more than that. 

“It’s not a one-trick pony, it’s not a dragster that you take to the drag strip and achieve the best times, and that’s it. The car is actually very, very complex, showing you what automotive technology in the future can do. 

“And it’s also very usable and very friendly from the user's perspective. And in the end what we wanted to achieve is develop a driver’s car, something that’s very engaging and very rewarding just taking it out and enjoying it."

As reported by Drive earlier this month, the car maker’s founder and CEO Mate Rimac recently claimed an over-exuberant executive for a major auto manufacturer wrote off a Nevera prototype.

The Chief Technical Officer (CTO) allegedly engaged the car’s ‘Drift Mode’, sending more than 700kW to the rear wheels which caused them to lose control.