The YangWang U9 may have an unconventional name, but there’s no denying its ballistic performance.
Chinese electric vehicles may not be a force we’re reckoning with here in North America, but BYD and its subsidiaries are absolutely making their mark on the automotive world. One such subsidiary is YangWang, which builds the U9 electric hypercar. In its Track Edition spec, this model — whose four electric motors produce more than 2,959 horsepower — just clocked a top speed of almost 300 mph in Germany.
Technically speaking, the automaker managed a top speed of 293.54 mph at the ATP (Automotive Testing Papenburg) track. That sort of performance nets the YangWang U9 the title of World’s Fastest EV, and by a pretty wide margin, too. The Rimac Nevera R, another insanely fast and powerful electric hypercar, tops out at just over 268 mph. The Japanese-designed, Italian-built Aspark Owl, for its mark, ratchets that Vmax figure up to 273 mph.
Of course, being an electric car, you hear…almost nothing in the process. In the video below, there’s the sound of road noise and air rushing over the body as the U9 rockets down the tarmac, with German racing driver Marc Basseng at the helm. But while each electric motor spins up to 30,000 rpm and cranks out 744 horsepower, you still get that eerie (given the insane speed) sensation as he dials it up to 472.41 km/h (the official record-breaking figure).
For reference, the V8 gas-powered Chevy Corvette ZR1 reached a top speed of 233 mph at the Nürburgring. And that’s also a stupid fast car.
YangWang’s achievement is remarkable, but it naturally took some serious engineering to get there, as well as next-level driving skill. The U9 Track Edition uses a special semi-slick tire co-developed with Indonesian company Giti Tire, while the car itself features a carbon fiber front splitter and BYD’s “DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System”, which monitors and adjusts the suspension at each corner constantly to maintain as much grip as possible. You’ll also notice this particular car doesn’t have a massive wing on the back, to reduce aerodynamic drag and make such mind-bending speed possible.
So, what exactly does this all mean? Well, in the current context here in the US, it’s more or less the news time outlets are giving it here. We won’t see the YangWang U9 on our roads anytime soon (not even the tamped down, 1,287-horsepower road version). That said, competition is competition and European as well as Asian automakers, which do currently duke it out with Chinese automakers like BYD, have to take notice and respond in kind. For now, though, China is in the lead when it comes to (officially) building the world’s fastest EVs.
