Quick Highlights:
- Quad-motor hypercar from BYD’s Yangwang brand clocks 293.54 mph in Germany
- Produces 2,959 horsepower, each motor spinning up to 30,000 rpm
- Faster than the Rimac Nevera R (268 mph) and Aspark Owl (272 mph)
- German racer Marc Basseng piloted the U9 Track Edition at Papenburg
There’s a new player in the hypercar space, and it’s not from Europe. Meet the Yangwang U9 Track Edition, a 3,000-horsepower electric missile — the highest-powered production EV to date — from Chinese giant BYD, which now holds the crown as the world’s fastest EV.
The record-breaking run happened on August 8, 2024, at Germany’s ATP Papenburg test track, where the U9 stormed to a verified 293.54 mph. That staggering number doesn’t just make it the quickest EV ever — it places Yangwang in the same conversation as Koenigsegg, Rimac, and Aspark, names long associated with hypercar dominance.
The car wasn’t piloted by just anyone, either. Behind the wheel sat Marc Basseng, a veteran German racer with experience in endurance and touring car championships. His steady hands guided the U9 through its history-making run. To give you some perspective on how wild 293 mph really is, the very same track was used recently by Chevrolet’s Corvette ZR1, which topped out at 233 mph. That’s blisteringly fast for a gas-powered American supercar, but the U9 made it look almost tame.
Power That Redefines EV Performance
Beneath the carbon-fiber skin, the Yangwang U9 Track Edition carries hardware that most automakers can only dream of. At its core is a quad-motor setup, with each motor producing 744 horsepower for a combined output of 2,959 hp. Just as remarkable, these motors can spin up to 30,000 rpm — a figure usually reserved for Formula 1 technology, not a production-based EV.
Harnessing that much power requires more than brute force. Yangwang uses a torque-vectoring system that can adjust output at each wheel over 100 times per second, ensuring traction and control even as speeds climb past 250 mph. Working alongside it is BYD’s DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System, which constantly fine-tunes the suspension to reduce roll, pitch, and squat. This same system can perform theatrics like hopping or driving on three wheels, but Yangwang calibrated it in the Track Edition purely for stability at extreme speeds.
For the record-setting attempt, Yangwang removed the standard U9’s oversized rear wing in favor of a sleeker setup and added a carbon-fiber front splitter to manage airflow. Grip came from semi-slick tires developed with Giti Tire, featuring a special knurling treatment at the wheel rim interface to prevent slippage under the massive forces of acceleration and braking — an essential detail when running close to 300 mph.
Rivals Left Behind
The Yangwang U9 is now quicker than some of the most famous hypercars in the world. The Rimac Nevera R reached 268 mph earlier this year, while Japan’s Aspark Owl hit 272 mph in 2024. Even the Koenigsegg Agera RS, one of the fastest cars ever, managed 277.9 mph as an official two-way average.
With a speed of 293.54 mph, the U9 goes beyond all of them. Yangwang completed the record run in one direction only, but that is not unusual. When the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport first surpassed 300 mph, it also ran a single-direction test. The point is simple: Yangwang has built an EV that is faster than the best from Europe and Japan (According to Jalopnik).
Why It Matters
The record of Yangwang U9 Track Edition is not only about the numerical result: it is the change in power balance. Europe-based Bugatti, Koenigsegg and Rimac had ruled the scene of the world-fastest car manufacturers for decades. Now there is a Chinese-manufactured EV, which enters that ring, and this one clocks in at 293.54 mph, thus topping it.
It is also an indication of the future. Now, the 300-mph speed of electric automobiles does not seem to be impossible at all, it is just a matter of time. It can be the act of pushing ahead by Yangwang, or the retaliation of the competition such as Rimac who are setting the pace faster than ever.
What is definite is that the U9 Track Edition successfully overcomes its status of one more fast electric vehicle. The message is, China is no longer only joining in the performance game, it wants the crown.
Source: Yangwang
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