Photo taken on Sept. 11, 2017 shows models of Concept One, electric hypercars manufactured by Rimac Automobili in Sveta Nedelja, a township near Croatian capital Zagreb. Founded in 2009 by tech-geek Mate Rimac, Rimac Automobili has become increasingly famous as the manufacturer of the Concept One electric hypercars and provider of relevant technologies. (Xinhua/Gao Lei)
by Relja Dusek
ZAGREB, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- In Croatia, the southeastern European country where one of the greatest minds in the history was born, there is another man who is changing the auto industry right now.
Mate Rimac is just 29, and people call him the next Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor (1870-1873) because his company makes the fastest electric hyper cars and provide battery technology for big names of auto industry like Koenigsegg.
"I can't compare myself to him. I was reading a lot about him because he was from Croatia and I was fascinated by the electric motor that he had invented. We do a lot of interesting things here but our achievements cannot even remotely be compared to his", a modest Mate Rimac said during an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
Rimac showed his creativeness as a teenager, winning numerous awards from technological invention contests in many countries. As a young man crazy about cars finally got some money by a patent he held. He bought a BMW and became a passionate street racer but ended up blowing up the engine during a race. And that was when he decided to build an electric race car. "I'm crazy about cars all my life and I wanted to prove that cars can be fun and fast when they are electric," Rimac told Xinhua.
In 2009, the newly founded company Rimac Automobili was indeed a typical start-up with less than ten employees. In just two years, a group of brilliant minds that started from scratch managed to produce the world's first all-electric hyper car, the Concept One. It was the fastest accelerating electric car in the world. They did it all by themselves. From the motor and battery pack to exterior design and infotainment system.
The car was introduced at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and so far, they manufactured a limited quantity of only ten cars, which is understandable concerning the price tag of over one million U.S. dollars. In 2016 the company unleashed its "evil twin", even faster Concept S. Top speed of the car is 365 km/h and it accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds.
"Cars are very important for us but they are more of a showcase of what we can do. They are showing to other companies what our technology can achieve. They are our billboard", Rimac claims. He explains that making cars is a very difficult business in which many people bankrupted even before they produced their first car.
"It is a school example of the industry with the highest entry barriers, so it is a big step to get into it. If you look the U.S., for example, the only new car company in the last 60 years is Tesla. If you look at other car companies in the world, like Volkswagen, Porsche or Mercedes these companies are 60, 70 or 100 years old, have thousands of employees and the budget bigger than our country's budget. The total GDP of Croatia is three times smaller than Volkswagen revenue", he explained why he chose the high-end market.
"It's very unrealistic to start immediately with big numbers and small price. The small price is not achievable without big numbers. We wanted to focus on the high market because it was the only way for us to get on the market but also because it is a product of a passion, it is not a product of excel sheet or business plan. I'm crazy about cars all my life and I wanted to prove that cars can be fun when they are electric".
Nevertheless, making cars is not Rimac's main business. It is things that they produce and sell for other car manufacturers. Rimac Automobili is becoming a global leader in electric vehicle technology and it is all happening in Croatia, a country with absolutely no history of car manufacturing.
"Cars are very important for us but they are more of a showcase what we can do", Rimac said. The main business is things that they produce and sell for another car manufacturers. Rimac Automobili is becoming a global leader in electric vehicle technology. The goal is to become the world's leading supplier for all things electric.
"In the end, we are here, we are alive, kicking and growing. We are the proof that you can achieve anything from anywhere, even here in Croatia. It is the easiest way to just leave and go somewhere where things are better, but it should be our duty to do what we can to improve our country. I wanted to create jobs here, to show that it is possible in Croatia and it works. The company is doing well and we get foreign investors. We are a good example of globalization".
