BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme electric car sets world speed record

As a rule, production cars rarely match racing cars in terms of top speed. But it does happen: for example, the Chinese BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme recently became the best in its class. It managed to beat the previous record set by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ back in 2019.

According to the results of a test run in Germany, the electric car, driven by professional driver Marc Basseng, accelerated to 308.4 miles per hour (about 496 km/h).

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is equipped with four electric motors with a rotation speed of up to 30,000 rpm and a total power of 2,978 hp. Non-standard 20-inch tires were used to set the record.

In addition, a feature of the electric car is its high-voltage (1,200 V) platform, which is a significant upgrade from the 800 V platform used in the standard version of the U9. At the same time, the new model weighs the same as a conventional car — 2,480 kg.