Rimac and Bugatti Boss Mate Rimac Explains the Night-and-Day Difference Between Managing Heat in EVs and Hybrid Hypercars

Rimac Group CEO Mate Rimac is a Croatian tech geek, engineer, and designer with a crazy level of insight into how cars are built because he's in charge of building some of the fastest machines in the world.

Meet Rimac Group CEO Mate Rimac, a Croatian tech enthusiast, engineer, and designer whose passion for understanding how cars are built has led him to oversee the creation of some of the world's fastest machines.

Just over a decade ago, Rimac was busy converting his own BMW E30 to electric power at home, and now he heads up Bugatti and Rimac, two sides of the hypercar coin. It's no secret that Rimac is deeply involved in advanced electric propulsion, while Bugatti wouldn't be where it is today without its massive gas-guzzling engines.

The 36-year-old took to Instagram to help explain the difference in how the two contrasting propulsion technologies handle heat, using the Rimac Nevera and Bugatti Tourbillon as examples. It's a really interesting video that's worth checking out if you're into this sort of thing.

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Did you know that EVs build some heat from shuffling electrons, but nothing hot enough to burn your skin? Gasoline engines, on the other hand, get really damn hot. The difference between managing heat in an EV vs a hybrid hypercar is night and day. It goes without saying that Rimac is a smart guy, but even he had to wrap his head around the heat management required by an 8.3-liter V16 hybrid powerplant producing 1,800 horsepower.

In the video, Rimac is on a 300-mile road trip in his all-electric Nevera, and the temperatures displayed on the sensors don't exceed 111 degrees Fahrenheit in the hottest part of the rear electric drive unit. Nothing exposed to the elements gets hotter than 90 degrees, or thereabouts. In a high-performance combustion car like the upcoming Bugatti Tourbillon, however, the exhaust headers can reach 900 degrees, with normal exhaust gas temperatures exceeding 1500 degrees. It's clear to see how it can be more challenging to find suitable locations for things like bodywork, wiring, and hoses when you're working around an extremely hot, three-foot-long V16.

It's really cool to see a car company CEO engaging with social media in an informative and level-headed way. Mate Rimac even takes the time to elaborate on things in the comments sections of his Instagram and Facebook posts. How interesting!

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