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- YANGWANG U9 Track Edition sets new EV top-speed record at 472.41km/h
- Powered by quad-motors, each delivering 555kW, on 1,200V e4 Platform
- Outpaces Bugatti Chiron 300+ with 1,217 PS per tonne power ratio
- Marc Basseng piloted a record-breaking run, showcasing Giti Tire’s semi-slick track tyres
- Mostly unchanged production model, highlighting China’s dominance in high-performance EVs
More proof that China is leading the world in electric vehicles, the YANGWANG U9 Track Edition has just broken the electric vehicle (EV) top-speed record at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany with professional driver Marc Basseng behind the wheel.
Coming to us from BYD’s high-end sub-brand, YANGWANG, the U9 Track Edition is a 3,000 PS quad-motor EV whose motors output more than 555kW each. It boasts the world’s first mass-produced 1,200V ultra-high-voltage vehicle platform, and the world’s first quad-motor system to feature 30,000 rpm high-performance motors. This is why it was able to achieve a new global electric vehicle (EV) top-speed record of 472.41 km/h (293.54 mp/h) without a conventional gearbox.
The brand refers to this powertrain technology as the “e4 Platform” with independent torque-vectoring that adjusts each wheel’s torque 100 times per second. Chassis-wise, it uses the same DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System as YANGWANG U9, meaning each corner is controlled with independent vertical adjustment at each wheel. With this amount of power, the vehicle has a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 PS per tonne, exceeding that of the world’s fastest car, the Bugatti Chiron 300+, which manages just 909 PS per tonne.
The top-speed run started relatively slowly, with driver Marc Basseng performing a gradual take-off, warming up the YANGWANG U9 Track Edition’s tires in the mild 20-degree weather as he made his way to the first bank at just over 225 km/h.
He rounded the corner at just under 300km/h before leaving the banked right-hander at just over 305 km/h, showcasing the power of the YANGWANG U9 Track Edition as he accelerated hard to 400 km/h faster than many of Australia’s cheapest new cars can accelerate from 0-100 km/h. It took just under 10 seconds for the YANGWANG U9 Track Edition to accelerate from 400km/h to 470km/h.
Once Basseng clipped the top-speed record at 472.41 km/h, the car wiggled underneath him as he decelerated gradually to avoid spinning out. He did an outstanding job of keeping the car on the track, using all four lanes as the car walked across the track at 380 km/h. Scary!
Despite the brown pants moment, Basseng kept everything in check and rounded the final bank on his way back to the pits.
“Last year, I thought I’d peaked,” he said. “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.”
The media release from YANGWANG states that the car was mostly unchanged from the customer-delivered models in China. Based on what they learned last year, they engaged Giti Tire to develop a track-focused semi-slick tyre for the test, but the aerodynamics remain unchanged from the standard U9, including the optional carbon-fibre front splitter that is already in mass production.
Clearly, YANGWANG’s next step is cracking the 300 mp/h barrier, which only Bugatti has managed at its extra-long Volkswagen Group test track, Ehra-Lessien.
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