By Akash Pandey

Copyright newsbytesapp

Yangwang, a luxury sub-brand of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD, has set a new world record for the fastest production car. The record was achieved at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany. The company’s latest U9 Xtreme hypercar hit an incredible top speed of 492.22km/h, beating its own previous EV benchmark and even surpassing the top speed of petrol-powered cars. The U9 Xtreme, formerly known as the U9 Track/Special Edition, is a refined version of an existing model sold in China. It features major upgrades, including a 1200V ultra-high-voltage electric powertrain (upgraded from 800V), a lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery with an impressive discharge rate of 30C, and four ultra-high-speed motors that can reach up to 30,000rpm. Together, they produce over 3,000hp of power. The record-breaking run was driven by Marc Basseng, a German track specialist with years of experience in sports-car racing and endurance motorsport. He credited the car’s incredible performance for making this feat possible. Technically, something like this is not possible with a combustion engine, he said, adding that the electric motor made the car quiet and allowed him to focus more on driving. The U9 Xtreme is now available for customers, but only in a limited production run of up to 30 units. The name ‘Xtreme’ comes from the English word meaning limit and ultimate, with an added emphasis on the letter ‘X,’ which stands for unknown. BYD executive vice-president Stella Li expressed her pride in this achievement, saying it’s a proud moment for everyone involved in research and development.