Rimac Bumps Tesla’s New Roadster To Second Place With New Concept_Two

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When Elon Musk and the team at Tesla unveiled the Tesla Roadster 2.0, a new stake was pounded into the tarmac, cementing the new Roadster and electric cars as the performance kings in nearly every meaningful category. It puts supercars to shame and at a fraction of the price.

With such a high bar being set at such a low price point, a no holds barred electric supercar seemed to be the only thing that could possibly top the high marks set by the new Tesla Roadster. Travel with me over to unlikely Sveta Nedelja, Croatia, where Mate Rimac and his motley crew of twisted engineering geniuses at Rimac Automobili assemble battery powered beasts that shake the boots off even the most seasoned track driver.

A 30 million euro round of fundraising last year from Asia’s largest battery manufacturer, Camel Group Ltd laid the foundation for Rimac’s new Concept_Two and now, finally, the beast is loose with full specs and a photo shoot to get fans drooling.

Concept_Two wasn’t pinned on the drawing board at Rimac to best the Tesla Roadster 2.0, but the specs make it clear that they have achieved the impressive feat just the same. Concept_Two’s mind-numbing 1,914 horsepower | 1425 kW of power will challenge not only the ability of drivers on the track but the ability of drivers to stay conscious as the limits of electric vehicles continue to be explored.

This power pushes and pulls the 4,300 pound | 1,950 kilogram carbon fiber clad creation to 60 miles per hour in just 1.85 seconds with a top speed of 258 miles per hour — both just slightly faster than Tesla’s new Roadster.

Concept_Two doesn’t stop after passing the new Roadster, but instead pounds the accelerator to the floor with loads of tech to round off the inevitable rough edges of its inordinately impressive powertrain. It will of course feature Rimac’s torque vectoring that automagically throttles torque across the four onboard motors to maximize the desired outcome.

If a fast launch is the objective, traction is paramount, so the onboard system digests information from its impressive array of accelerometers, gyroscopes, steering angle sensors, and wheel speed sensors to optimize usable power. Conversely, if the driver wants to slough off some weight, drift mode can be enabled, which has no qualms about spreading some tire around on the asphalt. Even in drift mode, Concept_Two will utilize its intelligent traction control to ensure the driver doesn’t completely lose control of the vehicle.

 

Rimac is similarly attempting to go where no company to date has gone before in a production vehicle — albeit only with the estimated 150 Concept_Two’s it is planning to produce — with level 4 autonomous driving. That would put Rimac at the top of the game and add autonomous driving technology to its already impressive suite of OEM technology offerings that it builds and sells to other automotive manufacturers.

Level 4 autonomous driving would allow the driver to disengage in the majority of driving conditions. Including this functionality in the Concept_Two specs is a jab at Tesla, whose vehicles arguably have the most miles driven using autonomous driving solutions, and provides a healthy tension from a friendly, competent competitor.

Concept_Two is also expected to raise the bar when it comes to price, with the final price expected to exceed the 1 million euro tag of Concept_One — the equivalent of four Tesla Roadster 2.0s. Rimac clearly isn’t looking to make a car for the masses, but is definitely pushing the envelope for what it means to be a supercar, regardless of what fuel is being used. One thing is for sure: Concept_Two will surely find itself plastered on computer desktops and walls around the world as the latest drool-worthy vehicle for motorheads to pine for.


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Kyle Field

I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

Kyle Field has 1654 posts and counting. See all posts by Kyle Field