A speed record for this Chinese electric car with 3,000 horsepower
Although they may not be achieving the commercial success their manufacturers had hoped for, electric supercars are turning heads and generating a lot of buzz with their prodigious performance, which occasionally translates into record-breaking achievements. The most recent example comes from China.
On August 8, the giant BYD achieved a remarkable feat on the Papenburg test track in Germany with the exclusive U9 Track Edition model from its high-performance luxury brand YangWang. In the hands of professional driver and 24 Hours of Nürburgring champion Marc Basseng, a regular at this type of test, the car reached a speed of 472.4 km/h, a new record for an electric vehicle.
The following video posted on YouTube gives you a glimpse of the interior:
With this world record, which was set in one direction rather than two as is the official practice, the YangWang U9 Track Edition easily outperforms the Aspark SP600 (273.7 mph) and the Rimac Nevera R (264.5 mph). It must be said that with its four engines capable of revving up to 30,000 rpm and generating a total of just over 2,950 horsepower, it makes short work of its Japanese and Croatian rivals, which develop 1,984 and 2,107 horsepower respectively.
It should be noted that the model used here had a more prominent carbon fiber front spoiler. The imposing rear wing of the standard U9 (1,287 horsepower) had also been removed. It's also worth noting that its ultra-sophisticated drivetrain can adjust torque distribution to the wheels more than 100 times per second, and that its intelligent chassis control system—the same one that allows it to leap off the ground when necessary—constantly makes subtle adjustments to the suspension in order to minimize body movement.
As for the fastest road car on the planet, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ claims a top speed of 300 mph (490.5 km/h), but this has not been certified by the FIA because Bugatti limited itself to a single-direction test. Otherwise, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut claims to reach 531 km/h, except that the Swedish manufacturer has been slow to provide concrete proof of this.
