E2: The Builders | Eric Rice - "RAESR" Rice Advanced Engineering Systems and Research
In Episode 2 of TheArsenale's original series The Builders, TheArsenale CEO Patrice Meignan sits down with Eric Rice of RAESR (Rice Advanced Engineering Systems and Research), the Los Angeles engineer who left a career as a gym owner to build one of the most powerful electric hypercars ever conceived: the RAESR Tachyon Speed. The conversation covers the full arc from initial CAD sketches to recruiting engineers, designers, and craftsmen, and ultimately producing a 1,250-horsepower all-electric machine that pushes the boundary of what a small independent team can achieve.
Who Is Eric Rice and What Is RAESR?
RAESR (Rice Advanced Engineering Systems and Research) was founded in 2014 in Los Angeles by Eric Rice, a self-taught automotive engineer with no traditional OEM background. Rather than starting in a corporate engineering department, Rice built RAESR from scratch: assembling a small team, sourcing components, and iterating on the Tachyon Speed concept through years of hands-on development. The prototype debuted publicly in 2017, making RAESR one of the most compelling examples of what a determined independent builder can accomplish outside the established automotive system.
As Rice himself describes in the episode, the philosophy is unapologetically niche: build something extreme, technically uncompromising, and make no concessions for mass-market palatability.
RAESR Tachyon Speed: Performance and Specifications
The Tachyon Speed is powered by six direct-drive electric motors producing a combined 1,250-plus horsepower and 3,650 lb-ft of torque through a 532V, 2,650-amp battery system rated at 1.4 megawatts peak power. The results are vertiginous: 0-60 mph in under three seconds, 0-120 mph in under seven, and a quarter-mile time below 10 seconds. Top speed exceeds 240 mph (386 km/h).
At speed, active aerodynamics take over. Four fixed front wings and an adjustable active rear wing generate 400 lb of downforce at 150 mph in low-downforce mode, rising to more than 1,000 lb in high-downforce configuration. The carbon-fibre body keeps dry weight to approximately 2,950 lb (1,338 kg). As detailed by RAESR's official specification page, the Tachyon Speed is engineered around track-day performance first, with a real-world city range of more than 150 miles as a secondary goal.
Building an Electric Hypercar Without a Factory
What makes the RAESR story compelling is the process as much as the product. Rice assembled his team the way a film director casts a production: finding engineers, composite specialists, and designers who shared the obsession. The result is a car that reads more like a jet fighter than a road car, its low-slung carbon-fibre body referencing aerospace forms directly. Motor1 described the Tachyon Speed's debut as one of the more surprising arrivals from the US independent hypercar scene.
TheArsenale Edition
"Niche and Extreme"
TheArsenale and RAESR: A Shared Philosophy
TheArsenale's collaboration with RAESR goes beyond media coverage. The RAESR Tachyon Speed Electric Hypercar is available through TheArsenale, making it one of the most extraordinary acquisitions on offer in the TheArsenale car collection. For those drawn to the independent builder spirit, the range also includes the Devel Sixteen 5,007 HP V16 Hypercar, another machine born from the conviction that extreme performance is worth pursuing without compromise.
Video featuring Patrice Meignan and Eric Rice
