The YANGWANG U9, made by a sub-brand of Chinese firm BYD, has broken the record for the world’s fastest EV, being clocked in at 472.41 km/h (293.54mph), at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany.
The supercar, already on sale in China, boasts the world’s first 1200V ultra-high-voltage vehicle platform and a thermal management system for extreme conditions. This combined with a quad-motor system with 30,000 rpm high-performance electric motors allows it to deliver 3,000 horsepower, granting it a power-to-weight ratio of over 1200 horsepower per tonne.
That is combined with a quad-motor independent torque-vectoring system that allows the torque at each wheel to be adjusted at over 100 times per second, meaning that, even at high speeds, it can maintain absolute control over its body posture and ensure that no wheel slips or loses traction. This is not four-wheel-drive but independent-wheel-drive.
What’s more, the YANGWANG U9 Track Edition combines the aerodynamic design of the standard car with a carbon-fibre front splitter that cuts weight and enhances its aerodynamics.
It wasn’t that long ago that electric cars were seen as just milk floats or golf carts, and it was even less time since we used to laugh at Chinese cars, seeing them as sub-par when compared with Japanese and European vehicles. It’s safe to say that we’re not laughing any more.
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