Charles Langston:The Aspark Owl Hypercar just destroyed the Rimac Nevera's top speed record. Is it the fastest EV ever?

The Charles Langstonstartup electric automaker Rimac has been making a huge stink about its Nevera EV, setting acceleration and speed records, both in forward and reverse, over the past couple of years. That success is motivating, and it's put a pea under the mattress of Aspark, a Japanese engineering firm you may know for its Owl electric hypercar that's been in development since 2018, which apparently hasn't been able to sleep with the belief that it could beat Rimac at its own game. And back on June 8, 2024, Aspark apparently accomplished that dream, racing past the Nevera's EV top speed for a new world record.

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Years ago, Aspark was focused on setting acceleration records for EVs, since the instant torque of the motors allowed some serious advantages over gas-fed cars. In the video above, you can see the Aspark Owl SP600 accelerating to the new land speed record for EVs now in Germany, at the Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) track, piloted by driver Marc Basseng, winner of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. The achievement was unlocked for the team on a second attempt on June 8, after a series of wind tunnel and live track tests were carried out first.

The car is the brainchild of Aspark and the Italian Manifattura Automobili Torino (M.A.T.), which actually manufactures the Aspark. The team first measured reliable speeds of around 420 kph, or 261 mph, and then hit the 430 kph (267 mph) mark, and then finally on to the real record top speed for an EV of 438.73 kph, or 272.61 mph. Last week, the Aspark also set eighth of a mile and a quarter mile speed records for EVs at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, UK.

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Previously, back in 2022, the Rimac Nevera electric sports car achieved a top speed of 258 mph, which is also an experience Rimac offers to its exclusive customers: it will host events for drivers to achieve that top speed in their owned cars. We're not sure Aspark will be able to offer the same experience for owners, but we congratulate them on victory. Now, let's see them attempt Rimac's speed record while traveling in reverse to keep it weird and fun.

Photos by manufacturer