BYD Yangwang U9 electric car accelerates to 503.17 km/h in Abu Dhabi

According to iXBT.com, the result was confirmed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and Guinness World Records. As Habr writes, the U9 Xtreme became the first production car to officially break the 500 km/h barrier. The previous achievement for this model was 496.22 km/h, and the new one is 6.95 km/h higher.

Previous tests took place on closed proving grounds, while this run was held on public roads. The car had to cope with heat, crosswinds, and desert dust.

The hypercar uses a 1,200-volt electrical architecture and four electric motors, each capable of spinning up to 30,000 rpm. Their total output is 2,220 kW, or 2,977 hp (over 3,000 hp according to iXBT.com). The tires, brakes, cooling, and body control systems were modified for extreme speeds. Externally, the Xtreme version is distinguished by a carbon-fiber front splitter, a rear diffuser, a hood with two air ducts, and a tall swan-neck wing.

Production of the U9 Xtreme will be limited: BYD confirmed that it will build no more than 30 such cars.