Here’s one for the history books, or at least for your car group chat. BYD’s premium sub-brand Yangwang, has just taken its U9 electric supercar to a whole new level with a Track Edition, hitting a jaw-dropping 293.54mph.
Yep, that officially makes it an electric hypercar, not just a fast EV. It’s now the fastest production electric car on the planet, leaving the Rimac Nevera R (268mph) and Aspark Owl (272mph) in the dust.
German racer Marc Basseng nailed that insane top speed at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg track this month, just a year after hitting 233mph in the standard U9.
“Last year, I thought I'd peaked. I never expected to break my own record so soon, but here we are, at the same track, with new technologies that have made it possible,” said Basseng. And break it he did. This 293mph blast even puts Bugatti and Koenigsegg firmly on notice.
The Track Edition still rides on the same platform as the U9 you can buy in China, but this version has over 2,958bhp from four electric motors. That’s more than double the standard U9’s 1,287bhp. Not a typo.
While European EV makers are just starting to play with 800V platforms, the U9 Track Edition runs on the world’s first mass-produced 1200V ultra-high-voltage platform. Plus, it has independent torque vectoring that tweaks power delivery over 100 times per second, keeping the car glued to the road.
You might also remember the ‘DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System,’ yes, the one that can make it leap and dance. On track, it keeps the U9 flat through corners and under heavy acceleration or braking.
Visually, the Track Edition has ditched the giant rear wing for a cleaner look, added a carbon fibre front splitter, and rolls on bespoke semi-slick tyres from Giti.
