Porsche Invests in Rimac

The future of cars is all-electric. We can see this with the success of Tesla and their immediate effect on the car industry. When Tesla vehicles started beating Lamborghinis and Ferraris off-the-line, Ferrari was one of the first to place an electric engine in the LaFerrari to improve its take-off. Porsche also followed suit. However, it is not satisfied with a quick fix and is looking to dominate the space over the long term.

Like all great companies, Porsche is thinking ahead. They have recently invested a 10% stake in a Croatian hyper-EV car company, Rimac. In 2015, Porsche announced that it is working on its own EV project, named Mission E, to directly compete with Tesla.  Except, this EV will come with Porsche’s unbeatable engineering and handling. This month, the German automaker announced that the name of their first all-electric vehicle will be Taycan, and will be sold next year (2019). The company says that the Taycan is promised to have continuous power, unlike Teslas that overheat from continuous acceleration. So, who is Rimac, and why did Porsche choose them?

Rimac Automobili – All-Electric Hyper Cars

Rimac Automobili is truly the sports car of the 21^st century. They have their foundations right and praise the genius Nikola Tesla and his contribution to modern civilization. Most importantly Tesla’s (the man) invention of the alternating current (AC) electric motor in the early 1900s.

Rimac was founded by Mate Rimac in his garage in 2009 and has seen unbelievable achievements and growth since then. Only a year later, the company outfitted a BMW M3 with an electric motor—naming it the e-M3—and the first EV to win official races against gas-powered vehicles. In 2011, Rimac introduced its concept vehicle, the Concept_One. It was only in 2016 when the Rimac Concept-One became a production vehicle.

Getting Porsche’s Interest

The Rimac Concept_One looks very futuristic and aerodynamic. Its long hood, small windows, and large tires are reminiscent of the 90s Batmobile, except this is the real deal. The Concept_One accelerates from 0-60 Mph in a remarkable 2.5 seconds. Achieving this amazing feat is done with a 1224 horsepower electric engine, sending the hypercar to 220 Mph. However, it was the recent unveiling of Rimac’s new hypercar that got Porsche’s attention.

Unbelievably, the Rimac C_Two tops the Concept_One in all areas. For example, it accelerates from 0-60 Mph in 1.85 seconds. This speed is achieved by a 1,914 horsepower engine, sending the all-electric marvel to 258 Mph for 403 miles on a single charge. Equipped with butterfly doors, active aerodynamics, and so much more, Porsche could not resist investing.

Now we can see why Porsche made such an investment in a relatively new company. The only way to counteract Tesla’s reign at the top of the EV market is to invest in a company that is just as ambitious and innovative. The Porsche Taycan will be available next year for $90,000 with many more models to follow. We can say with confidence that Rimac will have a big influence on Porsche’s new EVs, and we look forward to seeing what comes out of the collaboration of both companies.

European Service Center has been servicing Porsche vehicles in the community for over 35 years. Our highly trained ASE certified service technicians have the tools to inspect, diagnose, and repair any issue your Porsche might be having. Schedule your appointment today.