The two quickest production cars in the world, which happen to be electric - the Tesla Model S Plaid and Rimac Nevera - recently met at the Famoso Dragstrip in California.

DragTimes had a rare opportunity to conduct three drag races between the two and each of them was easily won by the Nevera. No surprise here, as the Croatian supercar's 1/4 mile record is 8.582 seconds, while Tesla does about 9.247 seconds. The 0.9 second difference translated to a significant gap on the track.

In the first race, the quicker reaction time of the Tesla driver allows us to see that even with a bit of a head start, the Plaid is still no match for the Rimac Nevera. Here are the results:

Race #1

  • Rimac Nevera: 8.655 seconds @166.66 mph
  • Tesla Model S Plaid: 9.272 seconds @152.68 mph

Race #2

  • Rimac Nevera: 8.641 seconds @166.44 mph
  • Tesla Model S Plaid: 9.312 seconds @151.34 mph

Race #3

  • Rimac Nevera: 8.615 seconds @166.39 mph
  • Tesla Model S Plaid: 9.294 seconds @151.75 mph

Rimac Nevera destroying Tesla Model S Plaid was fully expected. It's a four-motor electric supercar ($2.4 million) with a peak system output of 1,408 kW (1.4 MW), while the Plaid is equipped with three electric motors and a total system output of up to about 760 kW.

Previously, we saw how the Tesla Model S Plaid destroyed the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, equipped with two motors and a total peak system output of 560 kW.

Some might say that the race against the Rimac Nevera is a kind of revenge, as Porsche is a shareholder in Rimac Automobili.

Anyway, here we have it - the quickest electric supercar and electric flagship sedan on the market.

More races

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Rimac Nevera specs:

  • up to 550 km (342 miles) of WLTP range (preliminary)
  • 120 kWh battery; liquid cooled
    800V system voltage (maximum 730 V)
    Lithium Manganese Nickel chemistry
    Cell format: cylindrical 2170
    number of cells: 6,960
  • Acceleration
    0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 1.85 seconds (*high-friction surface, one foot roll-out)
    0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 1.97 seconds (*high-friction surface, one foot roll-out)
    0-300 km/h (186 mph) in 9.3 seconds (high-friction surface, one foot roll-out)
    1/4 mile (402 m) time in 8.6 seconds
    DragTimes' run: 8.582 seconds at 167.51 mph (269.5 km/h)
  • top speed of 412 km/h (258 mph)
  • all-wheel drive
  • system output of 1,408 kW (or 1.4 MW; 1,914 hp) and 2,360 Nm
    four independent surface-mounted, carbon-sleeve, permanent-magnet electric motors
    four independent inverters and gearboxes
    Rimac's intelligent All Wheel Torque Vectoring system (R-AWTV)
    front motors: 250 kW (340 hp) and 280 Nm each, combined with two single speed gearboxes (two independent gearboxes - one at each outer end of the axle)
    rear motors: 450 kW (612 hp) and 900 Nm each, combined with double single speed gearbox (two gearboxes in one housing between the motors) 
  • AC charging (on-board): 22 kW three-phase
  • DC fast charging: up to 500 kW (0-80% SOC in 22 minutes, using ultra-fast charger)
  • length 4750 mm; Width 1986 mm; Height 1208 mm; Wheelbase 2745 mm
  • weight of 2,150 kg
  • Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (Front 275/35 R20; Rear 315/35 R20)

Tesla Model S Plaid specs:

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