The Bugatti Veyron was long thought of to be the holy grail of motoring, and now the brand could once again become the centre of attention by introducing revolutionary new-car technology.
Solid-state batteries are the white whale of the automotive industry, with brands trying to make the ultimate power pack which can perfectly balance performance, range and fast-charging, all while being safer than current lithium-ion batteries.
Speaking to Autocar, chief operating officer of Rimac Technology, Nurdin Pitarevic, said the car-focused tech firm is currently developing solid-state batteries alongside ProLogium and Mitsubishi, with plans to introduce the technology around 2030.
But it may not immediately find its way into an electric Rimac hypercar, as Pitarevic instead admitted his “wish would be” for the firm’s solid-state batteries to first debut in a new Bugatti in 2030.
Rimac took a controlling stake in Bugatti back in 2021, and is responsible for the new Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar, which is powered by a V16 engine and three electric motors.
Pitarevic didn’t detail whether the upcoming Bugatti would be an EV or a hybrid, however the technology won’t be later used to make electrified vehicles more affordable, at least not with Rimac producing it.
The executive added Rimac Technology has already made a 100kWh solid-state battery prototype, and claims it’s 20 to 30 per cent more energy dense than what current technology allows, while being lighter and capable of charging faster.
While Rimac seems interested in continuing to develop solid-state batteries, earlier this year IM Motors sales and marketing director for overseas markets, Stephen Xu, told Torquecafe the EV-buying market didn’t care about the added range benefits.
“ I don’t think so, but fortunately I drive [an EV with a] semi-solid battery,” Xu said. “It’s still in progress, but it can last 1000km. I drive day and night and I’m exhausted but the battery’s still alive.
“Just from my point of view, the battery is, you know, to have [such a] long range is useless when you’re in the urban environment]. So that may not be the best choice. You put a very big battery but only use it in the city.
“Actually five or six years ago, Chinese customers were very keen on that long battery, a huge battery. But right now with the charging station, especially the super high voltage charging stations, which are more and more in China, over maybe 30 or 40 per cent.
“They think it’s okay because when you go to, maybe city to city. There’s a lot of charging stations. Our car is [on an] 800-volt platform [so it] only takes 15 minutes [to charge from] 30 to 80 per cent travel range. So [the time it takes to drink] a cup of coffee. So why should you add a big battery to the car with the energy consumption, which is very high.”
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