The BYD Yangwang U9 Track Edition, a Chinese supercar, recently set a new production electric vehicle (EV) top-speed record by going almost 300 miles per hour. Its top speed of 293.5 miles per hour blew away the previous record by over 25 miles per hour.
The previous production EV speed record of 268.2 mph had been set by the Rimac Nevera R in July. Two years ago, the Rimac Nevera set 23 speed and performance world records in one day. The most impressive may have been going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in only 1.74 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in only 3.23 seconds.
Now, however, the Yangwang, BYD’s high-end sub-brand, owns the world’s fastest EV speed record after its run at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany. In fact, the Yangwang almost broke the top speed record for all production vehicles. That record was set by a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ that went 304.8 mph in 2019.
Koenigsegg claims its Jesko hypercar can go over 300 mph, but has yet to officially do so. Hennessey and McLaren are also on the hunt for that type of speed.
Meanwhile, the Yangwang U9 Track Edition set its mark by utilizing “the world’s first mass-produced 1200V ultra-high-voltage vehicle platform, paired with a thermal-management system,” according to a BYD Company press release.
“Breaking world records demands both relentless power delivery and exceptional high-speed stability,” the press release explained. “The Yangwang U9 Track Edition’s e4 Platform — the world’s first quad-motor system to feature 30,000 rpm high-performance motors — delivers peak power of 555 kW per motor, with a combined system output exceeding 3,000 PS. This grants the vehicle an astonishing power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 PS per tonne, placing it among the top tier in the global automotive industry.”
Same driver, new record
The new speed record was set by German test driver Marc Basseng, the same driver who set the previous production EV speed record in the Rimac Nevera R in 2024, breaking 24 records along the way. He also set the record for fastest EV in the world in the Aspark Owl SP600 in 2024 at 272.6 mph, but that hypercar was just a prototype.
“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.”