Chinese automaker BYD is claiming that its Yangwang U9 hypercar hit a top speed of 472.41 km/h (293.5 mph) at the Papenburg Proving Grounds in Germany and can therefore be considered the world’s fastest production EV.
The issue is that the car in question is a quad-motor Track Edition reportedly packing around 3,000 PS (2,959 hp / 2,206 kW). It remains to be properly announced, so it cannot be considered a production vehicle just yet.
In the prototype category, a unique Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 EV designed by a team of engineers and researchers from Ohio hit 549.4 km/h (341.4 mph) on the same track back in 2016. Its record remains unbeaten.
Even so, it would be correct to say that that the Yangwang U9 is the fastest light passenger car to ever come from China. In fact, it’s held that title since the last fall when it managed to do 391.94 km/h (243.5 mph) on the same track.
