BYD's Yangwang U9 hypercar sets new Nurburgring EV record
What's the story
BYD's luxury brand, Yangwang, has set a new record for production electric vehicles at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The company's U9 hypercar lapped the legendary German track in an impressive 6:59.157 last month. German racer Moritz Kranz drove the car during its run. This makes it the first production EV to break the seven-minute mark on this challenging circuit. The official certification of this record was done by Nurburgring officials today.
Record-breaking performance
The U9 Xtreme beats the previous record by 5 seconds
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme's time beats the previous record by a whopping five seconds. The previous best was a 7:04.957 lap set earlier this year by Xiaomi's SU7 Ultra. The production EV record at Nurburgring has been broken multiple times over the past few years, highlighting the rapid advancements in electric vehicle technology.
Vehicle specs
The Yangwang U9 is a hypercar with nearly 3,000hp
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is not your typical EV. It is built on a 1,200-volt platform and uses four electric motors (one at each wheel) to deliver a combined output of nearly 3,000hp. The same car also recently set the world record for the fastest production car with a top speed of 496km/h. However, it should be noted that only about 30 units of this limited-edition model are planned for production.
Tech showcase
A look at the significance of this achievement
Despite some debate over what qualifies as a "production vehicle," the sub-seven-minute lap time is a testament to the rapid evolution of electric vehicles. BYD and Yangwang are clearly pushing their engineering limits with the U9 platform, heavily relying on their "e4 Platform" and "DiSus-X" intelligent body control system to handle such immense power on a challenging track.