Rimac’s 1088-HP Concept One EV hypercar prototype gets investors from Hong Kong

By Peter Braun April 27, 2014

The last few years have seen an explosion in supercar makers from countries that don’t have much of an automaking tradition.

Names like Zenovo, Koenigsegg, Lykan, and now the Dubai Roadster have all entered the automotive lexicon. But here is another name to memorize: Rimac. This Croatian startup, is on the verge of putting one of the most stunning supercars we have ever seen into production.

The Rimac Concept One has a lot going for it: 1088 horsepower close to 1,600 pound-feet of torque, 0 to 60 in just 2.7 seconds and a 190 mph top-end. And all of that power and speed comes from lithium-ion batteries and electric motors, which Rimac estimate are good for a 372 mile range.

The company is almost too much of a cliche to believe; it started out as the dream of a 26-year-old from Zagreb. Who, despite coming from a country without a long heritage of car manufacturing, managed to pull together not only a fantastic idea, but also built a prototype. Now he has something that might be even more important than those stunning numbers: investors. According to TechEU, Rimac has secured two big investors to help put the Concept One into production.

These two helpful individuals are apparently already involved in the world of EVs and green tech. One of them is a native Croatian working in Columbia’s energy sector, Frank Kanayet Yepes – a name that I am thankfully not being required to pronounce. Yepes is a man who knows a bit about what it takes to make electric cars go fast, as he is already involved in funding the Formula E electric race series.

The other potential investor is a Hong Kong energy firm. Though, they may potentially be more interested in the Greyp electric bikes that Rimac also makes.

Regardless, the news is exciting. Not only is it exciting to see any new automaker enter the field, it would be thrilling to see the first true EV supercar. Besides just look at the thing, it’s gorgeous! So here is to Rimac and its pioneering founder Mate Rimac.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Peter is a freelance contributor to Digital Trends and almost a lawyer. He has loved thinking, writing and talking about cars…

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