Automotive

Rimac C_Two 1,914-hp electric hypercar can drive itself if you're too scared

Rimac C_Two 1,914-hp electric hypercar can drive itself if you're too scared
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two: at what point does a car become too fast to be called a hypercar?
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Rimac C_Two: at what point does a car become too fast to be called a hypercar?
Rimac C_Two: gull-wing doors
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Rimac C_Two: gull-wing doors
Rimac C_Two: enough, enough, we're already scared of you
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Rimac C_Two: enough, enough, we're already scared of you
Rimac C_Two: active rear wing is part of a comprehensive active aerodynamics system
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Rimac C_Two: active rear wing is part of a comprehensive active aerodynamics system
Rimac C_Two: allegedly capable of 258 mph
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Rimac C_Two: allegedly capable of 258 mph
Rimac C_Two: pure, electric evil
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Rimac C_Two: pure, electric evil
Rimac C_Two: doesn't win the race to 2,000 horsepower. Does win most other races.
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Rimac C_Two: doesn't win the race to 2,000 horsepower. Does win most other races.
Rimac C_Two: will drive itself if you're too scared
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Rimac C_Two: will drive itself if you're too scared
Rimac C_Two: active aeros
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Rimac C_Two: active aeros
Rimac C_Two: rear wing flips up to become an air brake at high-speed braking
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Rimac C_Two: rear wing flips up to become an air brake at high-speed braking
Rimac C_Two: 1,696 lb-ft of instantly-available torque should ensure overtaking isn't too difficult
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Rimac C_Two: 1,696 lb-ft of instantly-available torque should ensure overtaking isn't too difficult
Rimac C_Two: features mirrors, because everything will be behind you in an instant
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Rimac C_Two: features mirrors, because everything will be behind you in an instant
Rimac C_Two: unlocks and starts using facial recognition instead of a key fob
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Rimac C_Two: unlocks and starts using facial recognition instead of a key fob
The fire extinguisher strap contains a not-so-subtle dig at Richard Hammond, who stacked a Concept_One durng a hill climb race
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The fire extinguisher strap contains a not-so-subtle dig at Richard Hammond, who stacked a Concept_One durng a hill climb race
Rimac C_Two: monitors your mood as you drive. It'll soften off the ride and play soothing music if you look stressed. Which you should be.
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Rimac C_Two: monitors your mood as you drive. It'll soften off the ride and play soothing music if you look stressed. Which you should be.
Rimac C_Two: weather sensors automatically adjust power output and traction control
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Rimac C_Two: weather sensors automatically adjust power output and traction control
Rimac C_Two: 403-mile range if driven like a nanna
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Rimac C_Two: 403-mile range if driven like a nanna
Rimac C_Two: pedals
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Rimac C_Two: pedals
Rimac C_Two: cabin and steering wheel
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Rimac C_Two: cabin and steering wheel
Rimac C_Two: 120 kilowatt-hour battery charges from 0-80 percent in half an hour on a fast charger
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Rimac C_Two: 120 kilowatt-hour battery charges from 0-80 percent in half an hour on a fast charger
Rimac C_Two: looks pretty good too
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Rimac C_Two: looks pretty good too
Rimac C_Two: will give you two solid laps of the Nurburgring if driven like it's designed to be driven
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Rimac C_Two: will give you two solid laps of the Nurburgring if driven like it's designed to be driven
Rimac C_Two: a 9.1 second quarter mile is one stomp of the accelerator pedal away
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Rimac C_Two: a 9.1 second quarter mile is one stomp of the accelerator pedal away
Rimac C_Two: will do 60 miles an hour in 1.85 seconds from a dead stop
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Rimac C_Two: will do 60 miles an hour in 1.85 seconds from a dead stop
Rimac C_Two: weighs 4,300 lb, so that'll soak up some of those horses
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Rimac C_Two: weighs 4,300 lb, so that'll soak up some of those horses
Rimac C_Two: knob on the dash lets you choose the distribution of power between the front and rear wheels
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Rimac C_Two: knob on the dash lets you choose the distribution of power between the front and rear wheels
Rimac C_Two: aerodynamic rims and Pirelli tires
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Rimac C_Two: aerodynamic rims and Pirelli tires
Rimac C_Two: tasty side LED indicators
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Rimac C_Two: tasty side LED indicators
Rimac C_Two: a tasty back end to display to anyone the gives you the giddy-up at the lights
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Rimac C_Two: a tasty back end to display to anyone the gives you the giddy-up at the lights
Rimac C_Two: highly aerodynamic shape
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Rimac C_Two: highly aerodynamic shape
Rimac C_Two: pushing the limits of what can be called a hypercar
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Rimac C_Two: pushing the limits of what can be called a hypercar
Rimac C_Two: a nice mix of muscle and class
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Rimac C_Two: a nice mix of muscle and class
Rimac C_Two: level 4 self driving capability
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Rimac C_Two: level 4 self driving capability
Rimac C_Two: cutaway view
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Rimac C_Two: cutaway view
Rimac C_Two: the rear drivetrain introduces a 2-speed gearbox to optimize low-end acceleration and the car's ludicrous top speed
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Rimac C_Two: the rear drivetrain introduces a 2-speed gearbox to optimize low-end acceleration and the car's ludicrous top speed
Rimac C-Two: luxury-ish interior includes performance data readout for passengers
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Rimac C-Two: luxury-ish interior includes performance data readout for passengers
Rimac C-Two: driver's side interior
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Rimac C-Two: driver's side interior
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
With over 1,900 hp on tap, the C_Two is the most insane piece of machinery in Geneva ... and virtually anywhere else
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With over 1,900 hp on tap, the C_Two is the most insane piece of machinery in Geneva ... and virtually anywhere else
Rimac has loaded the C_2 with cutting-edge aerodynamics
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Rimac has loaded the C_2 with cutting-edge aerodynamics
The interior is just as high-tech as the rest
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The interior is just as high-tech as the rest
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
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Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
View gallery - 52 images

Ladies and gents, please put your hands together for one of the fastest cars ever built. Rimac's new electric hypercar boasts a top speed of 258 mph (415 km/h), nearly 2,000 horsepower, face recognition locks on its gull-wing doors and level 4 autonomous driving if you're a little intimidated. Which you should be.

Rimac billed its Concept_One as the world's first electric hypercar, and looking at its monstrous 1,088 horsepower and capable chassis, the world nodded in agreement. The company's second car was always going to offer a step up in performance, but we confess, we weren't ready for what the company just pulled the covers off in Geneva.

Meet the C_Two, a car with performance figures so preposterous that we're going to need a category above "hypercar" if this is the way things are going. Megacar? Ubercar? Start thinking about it. These things are so absurdly extreme that the English language will have to expand to accommodate them.

Hold onto your hats. Through an electric motor at each wheel, the C_Two makes a peak of 1,914 horsepower (1,417 kW) and 1,696 lb-ft of torque (2,300 Nm). That's not a typo. Take a moment for those figures to sink in before you read on.

Acceleration times are about what you'd expect: a cheek-flapping 1.85 second 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint will get you down the freeway on-ramp in a jiffy, test the flexion strength of the seats and put a very healthy gap on any supersport motorcycle you care to name.

Rimac C_Two: doesn't win the race to 2,000 horsepower. Does win most other races.
Rimac C_Two: doesn't win the race to 2,000 horsepower. Does win most other races.

If you live a quarter mile from the nearest supermarket, you could get there in 9.1 seconds if there aren't any slow people in the way. Hold the pedal down for 11.8 seconds, and you're blasting through the 186 mph (300 km/h) barrier on the way to a top speed of 258 mph (415 km/h).

It goes without saying, these are rare and hallowed numbers indeed. This car leap-frogs all but two or three of the fastest cars in the world; it's a genuinely monumental engineering achievement. And yet these numbers are just a glimpse at what's possible with high-performance electrics.

It's only been two years since the Concept_One hit the road, and the C_Two has nearly doubled its already ludicrous performance figures. Don't be surprised when somebody doubles it again; compared to gasoline engines, developing stupefying power out of electric motors is a doddle. It's very possible that somebody will make a car soon that motorheads can agree is fast enough, at which point we're all going to have to find something else to argue about.

Ultra-high speed performance is aided by an interesting drivetrain. The two front wheels are driven by single-speed direct drive motors, but the rear wheels have two-speed gearboxes – one gear for brutal low-speed acceleration and another for blistering top-speed work.

In an effort to keep this thing driveable, the C_Two uses intelligent torque vectoring to keep all the wheels pointed in a similar direction, measuring power precisely to each wheel to maintain as much traction as possible. That's unless you want to slide the rear end out, in which case you can select exactly how much drift you want to allow through a twisty knob on the dash, and the car will transition gradually from all-wheel drive to rear wheel drive to help you achieve your dodgy goals.

With over 1,900 hp on tap, the C_Two is the most insane piece of machinery in Geneva ... and virtually anywhere else
With over 1,900 hp on tap, the C_Two is the most insane piece of machinery in Geneva ... and virtually anywhere else

Anything this fast needs active aerodynamics, and they're here in spades. Cooling intakes open and close themselves to maintain optimal temperatures around the drivetrain, the rear wing lifts itself up and down to give you the amount of downforce it determines you'll be needing, and if you hit the brakes at high speed, the rear wing and hood flaps will stand upright to act as air brakes.

Naturally, everything that can be carbon is carbon, including the eye-popping external bodywork, the gull-wing doors and the monocoque chassis. All necessary to keep the car's weight down to 1,950 kg (4,300 lb) with the heavy 120 kWh Lithium/Manganese/Nickel battery pack integrated into the frame.

Rimac C_Two: cutaway view
Rimac C_Two: cutaway view

As for range, well, drive it sensibly and the C_Two will give you a respectable 403 miles (650 km) between charges. Unleash the power of the ancient gods through your right boot, and you'll make it twice around the 12.9 miles (20.8 km) of the Nurburgring Nordschliefe and probably need a lie down for the 30 minutes it'll take to recharge from 0-80 percent on a fast charger.

The crazy stuff doesn't end with the performance figures. How about facial recognition software that looks at you and decides whether to open the doors? How about sensors that detect the weather you're driving in, and adjust powertrain options accordingly? How about sensor tech that reads your mood while you're driving, and if you're stressed out, it'll soften off the throttle and the ride, and play you some soothing music? We're not sure how exactly it reads how you're feeling, perhaps the seats are fitted with sphincterometers to measure some of the fish-mouth gaping this thing is sure to inspire.

Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
Rimac C_Two makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show

If you take it on a track day, and we sincerely hope you do, the car comes programmed with racing line and braking point data for popular racetracks, which it will helpfully display on screen to help you shave tenths and get the best time you can. And if you can convince somebody to sit in the passenger seat, Rimac provides handy performance data they can read as their intestines rush to clear themselves.

And then, a real head-scratcher. It's capable of level 4 autonomous driving. Festooned with high tech sensors (eight cameras, six radars, 12 ultrasonic dots and LiDAR) and tricked out with 72 ECUs and processors with a combined computing power equal to 22 Macbook Pros, the C_Two will get an Autopilot-like self driving system so you can sit in your priceless Mega-ubercar and do your nails instead of driving it.

Rimac C_Two: level 4 self driving capability
Rimac C_Two: level 4 self driving capability

There's no pricing information available yet, but this is not a concept. It's a car, and people will be able to buy it, and it's a real thing people will be sitting in and getting compressed against the seats of. It's a real-life fairy tale. Congratulations Rimac, you glorious lunatics, and godspeed. We salute you.

Rimac's promo video can be seen below.

Source: Rimac

2CELLOS feat. Rimac C_Two: a car alive with technology

View gallery - 52 images
11 comments
11 comments
Mary Fisher
But can it tow?
Brian M
But its no faster than any other car when stuck in traffic, just looks cooler!
KirkAugustin
NO! It can NOT drive itself! Every single attempt at autonomous driving relies in GPS mapping, and that is not at all reliable. Use self driving if you have suicidal intentions, but then stay away from any people.
Indiver716
The wheels / wheel covers are hideous. I would think someone would be able to come up with something more attractive that performs the function (258 mph top speed instead of 254 mph top speed?) they are aiming for. The exterior and interior styling is pretty generic for super / hyper cars. They should study Pagani for a wow factor interior and any number of makers current and past (Ferrari, Lancia, Bizzarini; Alpha Romeo) for a stand-out exterior. The performance numbers are quite impressive and it's surprising that a small auto maker can confidently delve into self-driving tech.
guzmanchinky
Hand it to Hammond. Now.
Daishi
>it's surprising that a small auto maker can confidently delve into self-driving tech.
It is surprising and it's enough reason to be skeptical of any claims they make. Everyone in the industry has been sinking a fortune to develop the technology for years. You don't simply walk into the industry and deliver level 4 autonomy through in house R&D efforts. Maybe it's planned but it's certainly not complete.
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is way cool.
yawood
@Indiver716. To each his own - I think every aspect of the car is beautiful, including the wheels.
One thing that seems odd though is that you'd have to put your hands into the seat of the fire to get the extinguisher.
MQ
Level 4 Autonomy and Autopilot in one sentence.. all related to an automobile..
In reality aircraft autopilots are only level 3 or level 4 for very closely controlled research environments . Operator on the loop, and they are only used in this level in a controlled cooperative environment.
Driving on public roads is neither controlled nor cooperative. Hence unleashing any such on the lublic should be cautioned... then again tesla seems to have survived (if you call a perenial loss maker " surviving) the "decapitation by model S" saga of a few years ago.
One thing we have to credit these entrepreneurs with is the ability to BS billions of dollars from wealthy patrons flush with OPM to distribute.
matsuda
"Level 4 Autonomy and Autopilot in one sentence.. all related to an automobile.."
I'm just going to leave this here:
Rimac Introduces AI Hypercar Powered by NVIDIA DRIVE https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2018/03/07/rimac-c-two/
The Dark Secret at the Heart of AI https://www.technologyreview.com/s/604087/the-dark-secret-at-the-heart-of-ai/
NVIDIA AI Car Demonstration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-96BEoXJMs0
Thanks
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