Rimac is working on developing larger battery cells and a structural battery pack, two innovations pioneered in the electric vehicle (EV) marketplace by Tesla.
In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Wasim Sarwar Dilov, Rimac Technology’s head of research and advanced engineering said the company is developing battery cells that are 46mm in diameter, the same as Tesla’s 4680 cells.
Rimac’s cells will be of varying heights, unlike Tesla’s which are 80mm tall. This increased size will allow for increased energy density.
The company is also working on developing a structural battery pack like Tesla’s which forms part of the car’s body, instead of a “box within a box”, explained Dilov.
With these two innovations Rimac is hoping to reduce the amount of battery pack weight not attributed to the cells themselves, or “parasitic waste” as Dilov calls it. The company refers to this as ‘cell-to-pack efficiency’ and is aiming for 75% by the time it starts production of these new modules in 2025.
According to Rimac other EVs like the Porsche Taycan come in at 63%, the Model 3 at 64%. Rimac’s own Nevera has a cell-to-pack efficiency of 67%.
While Rimac is only building 150 Nivera’s, the company is also a battery supplier to other automakers. Rimac has 12 projects with different automakers on the go, and hopes to supply 40,000 battery packs in 2023, increasing that to 200,000 by 2028.
Rimac recently received the necessary certifications for their first EV to go on sale in the United States. The Rimac Nivera produces 1,914 horsepower and can reach 60mph in under 2 seconds. The electric hypercar has a top speed of 258mph (415km/h).
Source: Automotive News Europe
