Chinese supercar sets EV speed world record

China’s BYD achieved a new electric vehicle speed record when its Yangwang U9 Track Edition reached 293.54 mph at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Germany on Aug. 8.

The figure surpassed the Rimac Nevera’s 268 mph and the Aspark Owl’s 272 mph, making the U9 Track Edition the fastest EV ever recorded under production testing conditions. For comparison, Tesla’s fastest production model, the Model S Plaid, has a top speed of 200 mph from its tri-motor system.

The Yangwang U9 Track Edition generates 2,960 horsepower from a four-motor system and runs on BYD’s 1,200-volt e⁴ platform with advanced cooling to manage heat under sustained load. Stability at high speed was supported by real-time torque vectoring, BYD’s DiSus-X suspension, aerodynamic adjustments including a carbon fiber front splitter and custom semi-slick tires. BYD later released a full video of the record-setting run on its official YouTube channel.

The record underscores BYD’s expansion beyond mass-market EVs, where it already leads China’s domestic market. In 2024, the company overtook Tesla in global sales and reported a record annual revenue of 777.1 billion yuan ($107 billion). The U9 Track Edition places BYD in the hypercar segment traditionally dominated by European makers. German professional driver Marc Basseng, who piloted the car, credited the engineering advances for the result. “Last year, I thought I’d peaked. 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,” Basseng said.