Super rich get their EV toy also
Elon Musk has got nothin’ on Mate Rimac. Mr. Rimac, the founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili has created the Concept One electric vehicle (EV) that you see above. Why settle for the merely sleek, when you can have the sublimely sensous? Introduced to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, the Concept One truly sounds outlandish – as do all good super cars. Four drivetrains – one for each wheel. 1,088 horsepower and 2,800 ft.-lbs. of torque. 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds. 360 mile range. All for the low, low price of around one million American dollars. What’s not to like?
Mr. Rimac, a 23 year old entrepreneur from Croatia seems to be a relatively ambitious individual. Winning a national high school invention competition got him another opportunity, in which he apparently met with some financial success. Being interested in fast cars, seemingly along with innovation, he turned his old BMW M3 into an electric car. With continued development it created significant power, durability, reliability and range – about which time the idea of creating an electric supercar came into being.
Nothing finds money like proof of concept. When Mr. Rimac sought investors and previewed the developing technology under the skin of the converted BMW he got some financial support and a Croatian electric supercar maker is born. Originally slated for production in 2013, the website is now saying 2014 (of course). Reviewing some of the manufacturing photos and on the Rimac Automobili website, these seem to be quality bits that are being assembled. Over 90 percent of manufacturing is being done in-house.
Can a 23 year old Croation pull this off? Why not? Mark Zuckerburg (he of Facebook fame) is all of 28 now. What do Croats know about building cars? It’s not Croats – it is Mr. Rimac. Individuals from all over the world have done great things. He has already learned some marketing savvy, limiting production of the Concept One to 88 vehicles. Ferrari has always limited production for a reason.
We wish Mr. Rimac success. The super rich will always want their toys. And it seems the more exclusive it is, the more desirable is said toy. Anyone can have a supercar. Only 88 can have an electric supercar. Our bet is that he’ll find buyers if he doesn’t run out of development money first.