Maybe electric hypercars won’t dominate the acceleration record books after all?
The Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Batista may have spent the last year pushing the boundaries of production vehicle acceleration, but even they can be bested. The Koenigsegg Regera just reclaimed its title as the fastest production vehicle to accelerate to 249 mph and then come to a complete stop.
The Swedish carmaker proudly announced on Friday that its seven-year-old hypercar was able to rocket to 249 mph (400 kmph) and then completely halt all of its momentum in just 28.81 seconds during a run at the Örebro Airport, which is located about 50 miles west of Stockholm. That bests the previous record of 29.94 seconds—which, Motor1.com points out was set by Nevera just last month—by more than a full second. During the run, the Regera zoomed from zero to 249 mph in just 20.68 seconds, then decelerated back to zero in an additional 8.13 seconds. Going from zero to 249 mph and back to zero is considered one of the best tests of a vehicle’s acceleration, speed and braking abilities.
The Regera, which was first announced in 2015 and put into production the next year, previously set this record in 2019, when it went from 0-249-0 mph in 31.49 seconds, beating a mark (33.29 seconds) that had been set by another Koenigsegg, the Agera RS, two years earlier. The Regera has a 1,500 hp hybrid powertrain that features a twin-turbocharged V-8 and three electric motors. The automaker was able to increase its acceleration with one simple upgrade—a set of Michelin’s new Cup 2R tires.
“This specific record is one that means a lot to Koenigsegg, as it’s a record that covers every aspect of extreme performance,” founder Christian von Koenigsegg said in a statement. “The fact that the Regera can still surprise and amaze the automotive world after all this time is a testament not only to its timeless design, but to engineering and technology that was way ahead of the curve.
It remains to be seen how long the Regera’s latest record stands. You have to imagine that Rimac will aim to reclaim its title, and don’t count out Pininfarina. Koenigsegg might not be done, either, since its current model, the Jesko, could be even faster than the Regera.
