At €2.2 ($2.6 / £2.0) million, the Rimac C_Two is one expensive piece of kit, but the Croatian automaker has just crashed two of them.
Of course, this wasn’t an accident; the collisions were part of Rimac’s testing program in preparation for the hypercar’s 2021 launch.
As Rimac explained, a total of eleven prototypes will eventually be destroyed during the crash testing process. This is necessary to ensure the C_Two’s safety as well as obtain worldwide homologation that will ensure the production model can be sold globally.
Also Read: Rimac C_Two Hypercar Promises To Hit 60 MPH In Just 1.85 Seconds
As part of the process, a prototype was subjected to a 40% offset deformable barrier impact test at 25 mph (40 km/h). It passed with flying colors, so they conducted a second test with another prototype traveling at 35 mph (56 km/h).
That doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but the amount of kinetic energy is doubled and the crash is much more destructive. Despite this, “all of the readings were in the green”, according to the company, and the risk of injuries to passengers was very low.
They also noted there was no damage to the carbon fiber monocoque or intrusion of the pedals. Given this result, Rimac said the C_Two “proved to be extremely safe.”
That’s pretty important when you’re talking about an electric hypercar with four motors which produce a combined output of 1,888 hp (1,408 kW / 1,914 PS) and 1,696 lb-ft (2,300 Nm) of torque. They’re powered by a 120 kWh battery pack and will enable the all-wheel drive C_Two to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 1.85 seconds and hit a top speed of 258 mph (412 km/h).