The speed records have always marked the main developments in the car. And electricity is no exception to the rule. To improve their image, Chinese manufacturers understood that it was necessary to shine this little game to show a certain technological advance.
Four engines, 1,300 horsepower
Yangwang, a senior management mark of the Chinese group byd, has just broken the speed record in the category with its superportivo, the U9. A version of “Track Edition” specially prepared for this exercise, with 3,000 horses of energy, against 1,300 horsepower for the serial version marketed in China. In the program, four engines, one for each wheel, an architecture of 1,200 volts (when most electric cars are in 400v or even 800V) and tires are provided specifically to transmit all the power at this speed of speed.
In the video published in the Byd YouTube account, you can see the pilot that reaches 472.41 km/ha board of this Yangwang U9. A performance achieved at the Papenburg Testing Center, Germany in Germany, which avoids any trap accusation if Byd had chosen China. A way also to participate in the communication campaign of the Chinese group in Europe and an arrival of this brand, Yangwang, scheduled for next year, following another subsidiary of Byd, denza, which also wants to tickle the premium brands of the former continent.
The Yangwang U9, therefore, destroys the Rimac Nevara R, whose counter had shown 431.5 km/h, just over a month ago on this same Papenburg test track. A relatively unknown Croatian brand, but had stood out with electric models of ultra performance in the 2010, before joining the Volkswagen group, in a joint business with Bugatti and controlled by Porsche since 2021.
If this record remains impressive, the thermal still retains a short advance: the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ remains considered the “standard” car (30 copies) with the highest maximum speed, all combined engines: 490,484 km/h.
A symbol of Chinese domination in electricity
In the field of superported cars, the maximum speed remains an important argument. However, a criterion that stands out less in electrical models, often restricted to preserve the battery. The standard Yangwang U9 shows a maximum speed at 309 km/h, far from a Bugatti Tourbillon that announces 445 km/h with its 8.3 -liter V16 hybrid.
Byd is still quite well located in this race for the speed of the electric race, in front of a Porsche Taycan or a Tesla Model S box that announces 305 and 322 km/h respectively. As for the new Tesla Roadster, expected since 2017, the American brand simply announces a speed greater than 400 km/h, without knowing if we will see it one day.
Another recreation patio accustomed to car exploits, the Nürburgring circuit, where it is another Chinese brand that has recently distinguished: Xiaomi. The Chinese brand, better known for its smartphones, broke the record of the route time in October 2024 for an electric car in the North Loop.
Source: BFM TV
