Rimac Says Future Hypercars Will Do 0-60 In Under 1 Second

Aug. 26, 2022 7:19 AM ET bySebastian Cenizo Supercars /12 Comments

Prepare your internal organs for otherworldly g-forces.

A year ago, the Tesla Model S Plaid set a new world record, completing thequarter-mile in just 9.247 secondswith Jay Leno behind the wheel. On its way there, Tesla says that it achieved the 0-60-mph sprint in just 1.99 seconds (with rollout subtracted and on a prepped surface). But then theRimac Neverashowed up to ruin its party, clocking the quarter-mile in ascarcely believable 8.582 seconds．其0-60 time is claimed at 1.85 seconds, and that kind of acceleration is simply impossible for a road-legal car with an internal combustion engine.

But how much quicker are cars going to get? Have we reached the outer limits of the performance envelope? No, not if Rimac has anything to say about it. According to one of its engineers, sub-one-second 0-60 times are possible.

The news comes viaThe Drive, following an interview with the chief program engineer for the Nevera, Matija Renic. The publication asked whether it would be possible for the cars of tomorrow to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in a second or perhaps even half a second, to which Renic simply responded: "Below one second." That will surely feel uncomfortable, to say the least. Just to put that into context, the Bugatti Chiron, which was always the poster child for astonishing acceleration (despite its top speed being its true claim to fame), can do 0-60 in under 2.5 seconds. The electric hypercars of the future will do it in less than half that time. Mind-boggling.

What Renic doesn't explain, though, is how these cars will achieve such a figure. Currently, mechanical grip levels limit our ability to accelerate that quickly, and while tire technology is rapidly accelerating, it's a long way from those sorts of claims. If we rely solely on rotating wheels as propulsion, it seems like an uphill battle.

Thruster technology a-la Tesla Roadster, however, would remove the mechanical grip constraints from the occasion.

The engineer went on to explain that the Nevera's incredible performance specs are a source of pride for the Croatian automaker but that the car is so much more than just a straight-line missile: "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 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."

This much is evident in a 2021 video released by the company showing the company's CEO, Mate Rimac, hooning a Nevera prototype off-road, handling lurid slides with precision, and darting between obstacles with aplomb. Another video this year showed a production car deploying its 1,914 horsepower on ice, and that looked even more fun.

Withso many ridiculously quick carsout there, one can't help but wonder when legislation will curb the efforts of the automotive geniuses who continue to raise the bar to hitherto unseen levels. We hate to bring something negative into a story about the technological wonders of mankind in the 21st century, but safety issues are impossible to ignore. 2022 is already one of thedeadliest years for American road usersin the last two decades.

On the other side of the planet, deadly crashes involving high-performance cars have motivated the Australian government to step in. It wants to mandate special licenses for owners of cars above a certain, as-yet-unspecified, level of performance, with those who wish to qualify likely to require additional training. Disabling traction control could also become impossible. Some will be arrogant enough to ignore the greater good here, believing that they're better drivers than Lewis Hamilton, but no driver is perfect and few driving scenarios are ever ideal.

We'll leave the details to the legislators, and in the meantime, we remain excited by the possibility of an organ-squishing sub-one-second hypercar.