BYD’s Yangwang U9 ‘Xtreme’ reached 308.4 mph (495 km/h) in a top speed test at ATP Papenburg’s high speed oval, Germany, beating the 304.8 mph record set by Bugatti’s Chiron Super Sport 300+ in 2019.
The electric hypercar was piloted by Marc Basseng, a German racing driver who took the standard U9 up to 233 mph last year. This week he joined the highly exclusive list of drivers to punch beyond 300.
The U9 Xtreme was specially tweaked to a ridiculous 2,978 bhp (up from 1,288 bhp), powered by four electric motors capable of spinning up to 30,000 rpm. These motors feature the world’s thinnest super-silicon steel in mass production: 0.1mm.
The record becomes all-the-more impressive considering the Xtreme’s weight: 2,480 kg – nearly half a tonne heavier than the Chiron Super Sport 300+. Not to mention the incredible load upon the tyres at such speed.
BYD thought of this, and reduced the wheel size from 21 inches to 20, while increasing the front tyre width to 325 mm (up from 275), to match the rears.
Overall, the car is only 5 kg heavier than the regular U9, allowing this version to achieve 1,200 bhp per tonne and sit among an elite club of extreme hypercar names – including the SSC Tuatara, Hennessey Venom F5, Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut and more – all tipped to surpass 300 mph.
The crazy statistics do not end there: the U9 Xtreme is the first production car fitted with a 1,200 V ultra-high-voltage platform (up from 800 on the standard U9). The density of each battery cell is increased 170%, allowing discharge rates over 10 times that of a standard EV.
Yet, despite the massively boosted power output, the new platform reduces heat generation by up to 67%.
In reality, that means it packs incredible battery performance without compromising reliability.
Not only this, but the U9 is also the ‘jumping car’ revealed in 2023, and in testing eight months ago, it physically jumped over potholes and road spikes like a videogame.
How much for all that? Only 30 will be made, and with no figure for the 300-mph variant, you can assume it is much greater than the existing U9’s £200,000 pricetag.
MotorPost 
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