Rimac Nevela quietly dives into Jay Leno's garage

The Rimac Nevela is one of the hottest hypercars on the road right now, and naturally it made an appearance in Jay Leno's garage. Rimac also sent development driver Miroslav Zurcevic to explain more about this electric superstar.

Nevera is the production version of the Rimac C_Two concept, first introduced at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, and the successor to Rimac's first electric hypercar, the Rimac Concept_One. After much development work (about 1.6 million hours, Zrncevic calculations) and coronavirus-related delays, the Nevera recently went into production, with the first customer car going to 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg

. The headline numbers include four electric motors producing a total of 1,914 hp and 1,740 lb-ft of torque, which allowed the Nevera to run a quarter mile in 8.58 seconds at 167.51 mph in 2021 testing. The Nevera also has an EPA-rated range of 287 miles.

The advantage of having four motors, one on each wheel, is that it gives the driver more control over how power is distributed, Zulcevic explains in the video. Rimac's control system can modify front and rear torque distribution and torque vectoring. These parameters, along with suspension stiffness, steering weight, and acceleration response, are incorporated into five drive modes (including a drift mode) for different skill levels and situations.

Like other hypercars from existing automakers, the Nevera uses a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. This is the largest carbon fiber component currently produced in the automotive industry, Zurcevic says in the video. The battery module is housed behind the seats (where the engine would be in a conventional mid-engine supercar), in the footwell, and in the central tunnel to keep the center of gravity as low as possible and to optimize weight distribution.

The video also highlights the Nevella's active aerodynamic elements, including the front hood flap, underbody flap, rear wing, and rear diffuser. These can add or subtract downforce and work in conjunction with the side air inlets to aid cooling. The inlets are shaped like a cravat tie, a nod to Rimac's homeland of Croatia.

Rimac plans to produce 150 Neveras at a rate of 50 per year, priced at about $2.4 million each.

Once production begins, Rimac will move into joint development with Bugatti. Rimac's automotive division merged with Bugatti last year to become Bugatti Rimac.