Rimac hasn’t decided yet what kind of powertrain its next big supercar will be using. CEO Mate Rimac let it slip in a recent interview that the engineering department was actively experimenting with all kinds of liquid fuels capable of surpassing electric batteries, including even diesel.
Specifically, the company is looking into the viability of so-called nanotubes in converting fossil fuel into electricity. According to Rimac, using a liquid fuel with nanotubes can improve the efficiency ratio of a powertrain by several times compared to traditional combustion engine designs. While an average ICE powertrain yields an efficiency of roughly 30%, a nanotube car running on diesel can attain 80%. Hydrogen and liquefied natural gas are also being considered as viable alternatives.
Adopting this innovative technology will not eliminate all harmful emissions, but it will reduce them significantly compared to any traditional car design. Not only that, but nanotubes can make bulky, heavy and expensive EV batteries obsolete, improving the handling and dynamics of future sports cars.
Rimac’s latest big project was a hypercar called Nevera (shown below), which commands over more than 1,900 PS (1,874 hp / 1,397 kW).