Next Rimac supercar could ditch battery for diesel

Rimac’s next supercar might not be powered only by batteries, as the company is looking into the viability of a radical new technology that generates electricity using liquid fuels like diesel.

Speaking to Autocar recently, founder and boss Mate Rimac gave hints at what the next steps might look like for the Croatian brand, which is well underway with production of its second car, the 1877bhp Nevera EV.

“Rimac isn’t exclusively electric – it’s doing whatever is most exciting at the time,” he said, revealing that it’s “working on” a programme that will determine if so-called nanotubes can be an effective source of energy for a vehicle.

In essence, the idea is to superheat “chemically different” liquid fuels to generate electricity that could then be used to power an electric motor, thereby replacing the battery in an electric drivetrain.

Mate Rimac cited liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen and diesel as examples of fuels that could be used to power this arrangement. He revealed that his company had identified a start-up experimenting with the tech on a small scale and

that tests had suggested nanotubes could operate at 80% efficiency, when the average for an internal combustion engine is 30%.

The by-products of this process, said Rimac, include CO2 and other gases but far less than is emitted by any conventional ICE.

He believes the programme has potentially significant implications for the whole car industry but “especially sports cars”, implying that there are substantial weight savings and packaging advantages to be gained by removing the battery from an electric drivetrain.