Rimac C_Two: Speed Of Light
RIMAC C_TWO
SPEED OF LIGHT
Words by Carlo Brema
It will only be for a few, indeed a very limited portion of people – 150 to be precise. But already the fact that Rimac has reached the important goal of a second model and that will be produced in a larger scale establishes how much now electric vehicles are a firm reality and not just a goal towards which, in one way or another, everyone will look at in a few years. C_Two is the not so imaginative name, but no particular name would be able to anticipate the engineering contents that lie behind this authentic success of man in mastering the highest combination of technology and functionality. Take into account that we are not talking about a car that you will use to go shopping, but instead of a spaceship equipped with four wheels and a steering wheel, in other words those two aspects we just cannot and we must not give up from the world of traditional cars as we know it.
The C_Two is completely electric, it refines the soft and flowing lines of the Concept One and adds that pinch of attitude necessary for a realistic coexistence on the road. The Croatian brand led by the visionary Mate Rimac does not want, at least for the moment, to concentrate its efforts on a family car, let alone on a fashionable SUV. They know well that to break through the hearts of car enthusiasts, still largely related to the good old combustion engine, you must let facts to speak and then give free rein to their skills was the ideal move to put into action. For this reason we are faced with a low, wide supercar with an advanced cockpit, but as mentioned we do not have an engine in the traditional sense of the term, but a 120 kW battery pack able to manage its own energy to make possible lapping flatout the Nordschleife twice. Based on Lithium Manganese Nickel technology with a voltage of 720V, they give life to a powertrain composed of a motor for each wheel, which translated means a power equal to 1,914 horses and 2,300Nm of torque.
Now pull yourself up from the chair and follow what else I have to say, because it’s not over with these crazy figures, which justify performance like a 0-100 kph in just 1.8 seconds and a top speed that touches 412 per hour. Instead of driving licenses they should ask for a medical certificate, because the acceleration of the C_Two is something scary, unthinkable and totally irrational. Removing the fact that you will need a myriad of factors to press the throttle pedal to the floor, the Rimac handles such power thanks to two separate transmissions. The front one has 2 single-speed gearboxes, while the rear one has always two gearboxes, but with two speeds each. This, together with an electronic brain able to dispense the ideal torque on each single wheel, allows you to move like Luke Skywalker in “The Return Of The Jedi”, and always without producing CO2. The Croatian company also underlines the time it takes to accelerate – and in this case, no other term was more apt – from 0 to 300 kph: 11.8 seconds.
Between batteries, transmissions and all this technology, the weight of the C_Two reaches almost two tons. Nevertheless this does not represent a problem, because given a power of almost two thousand horses, it is useless to say that you will not be afraid to drive on steep climbing roads. Oh yes, there are 8 video cameras on board, a lidar (which is a remote sensing technique that allows to determine the distance of an object or a surface using a laser pulse), 6 radars and 12 ultrasound sensors. Maximum connectivity also includes an autonomous driving system (useful for maneuvering) and the driver’s facial recognition in place of the traditional ignition key. The future is here, we have no more doubts.
In addition of being vertiginously fast, it is also able to cope with corners and in this case the weight is handled by double-triangle suspensions, electronically controlled shock absorbers and a Brembo carbon-cereamic braking system. Trying to go into it as simplistically as possible in the salient details of the Rimac C_Two we have partly neglected the purely aesthetic aspect, what willy-nilly transmits the very first emotions when we approach a new car, not to mention that in the case of Rimac the task is made even more difficult by the fact that it is a new entry in the elite circle of hypercars. As mentioned, the lines are quite soft and not too far from those of the Concept One. Despite the apparent simplicity, both the front and the rear are functional in keeping the car on the ground at high speeds, but also give it character, making it recognizable in the midst of any other model. At the back there is a spoiler that also acts as aerodynamic brake, while the doors open just like on a McLaren, inviting you to put your nose in a futuristic cockpit, but not at all extreme as happens on some concept cars that look only towards the future. There are in fact two large digital screens, one behind the steering wheel and the other located in the middle of the tunnel between driver and passenger, through which to manage all the parameters of the car, taking advantage of the ability to split the screen up to four distinct blocks. In the lower sector a round knob to select the gear and move with an unmistakable hiss.
As with all electric cars you will not be inebriated by a typical rumble of a 12 cylinder, but it must be said that once the thrust of its 1,914 horses has been tested, it will be hard to remain impassive. The declared range is around 650 km, which are logically considered realistic as long as you use a small part of the 2,300 Nm of torque available. The 150 units seem to be all already sold, with figures that are around 2 million Euros and customers who have even come to choose options for € 500,000 extra. I mean, if you really want to exaggerate … What matters, even for petrolheads who can’t afford it, is the fact that electric technology is not only used to reduce emissions, but is perfectly able to bring the performance side to a whole other level and in this case we’re talking about serious figures. Do not look at it at all costs as a substitute for our beloved petrol supercars, but as a natural and logical evolution that does not preclude the automotive thrill of how we know it by generations of petrol worshippers.
RIMAC C_TWO
Layout – electric engine, all-wheel-drive
Engine – electric unit 120kw/720V each wheel
Transmission – 2 transmissions: front with 2 single-speed gearboxes + rear with 2 2-speed gearboxes
Power – 1.914 hp / 2.300 Nm
Weight – 1.975 kg
Acceleration – 1,8 sec. ca.
Top Speed – 412 kph
Range – 650 Km (NEDC)