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Porsche has increased its stake in Croatian electric vehicle firm Rimac, as part of an increased co-operation in battery technology and other areas. The German car maker bought a 10% stake in Rimac in June 2018 and has now increased its holding to 15.5%. The move comes shortly after Porsche launched the Taycan, its first series-production electric car. According to the two companies, the increased partnership will allow Porsche to “call on Rimac’s expertise in vehicle electrification, including powertrains, batteries and other components related to electrification and autonomous driving”. Lutz Meschke, Porsche’s finance chief, said: “It quickly became clear to us that Porsche and Rimac could learn a lot from each other. We are convinced of (founder) Mate Rimac and his company, so now we have increased our stake and are expanding our cooperation in battery technology.” Meschke told Autocar: “Rimac is very strong in battery technologies, e-motors and UX (user experience), and we can benefit. It’s a win-win situation on both sides.” The firms have not disclosed how much Porsche paid for the stake. Porsche isn’t the only major car firm to have invested in Rimac. Earlier this year, the Hyundai Motor Group invested £60 million in a deal that includes the development of two high-performance EVs by next year. Meschke said: “Rimac has a very good chance to have a broad range of customers in both sports cars and the volume segment with Hyundai. We have a very close co-operation with Rimac and we will see the results of that in the upcoming electric Macan and future
Origin: Porsche increases stake in hypercar EV maker Rimac

In this file photo, umbrellas provide some rain protection along Lakeshore Blvd. in Etobicoke on July 9, 2010.Ernest Doroszuk / Toronto Sun Even light rain significantly increases your risk of a fatal car crash, a new study out of the U.S. finds. The wetter the roads, the deadlier they become, with rain, snow and ice increasing the risk of deadly car crashes by 34 per cent, according to a study published April in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Light rain – “We’re talking a drizzle, just at the point where you might consider taking an umbrella out,” said study lead author Scott Stevens – increased the fatal crash risk by 27 per cent. Stevens, a data analyst and meteorologist at the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, and colleagues looked at 125,012 fatal car crashes in the Lower 48 states from 2006 to 2011, factoring in how many cars are on the road, to calculate the risk of a fatal accident. While other studies have used police reports and the nearest weather station to calculate rain and snow conditions, Stevens said his is the first study to use more precise weather radar data. It was able to distinguish how hard the rain or snow was falling to come up with results showing an increase in fatal crashes even in rain of less than one-tenth of an inch per hour. “People slow down when it starts to rain heavily, but I think they under-appreciate the risk of light rain,” Stevens said Tuesday. With moderate rain the risk of fatal car crashes is 75 per cent more than in nice weather, Stevens said, and with heavy rain it’s nearly two-and-a-half times more risky. The Northern Rockies and Upper Midwest had the highest risk of fatal crashes with rainy and snowy weather, while the risks were lowest in the Northeast and Southeast. Stevens thinks that’s because the east is more urban and people aren’t driving fast enough for fatal
Origin: Even light rain increases your risk of a deadly car crash: study