Four 550kW motors propel electric sportscar to new world speed record
27 August 2025 
A Chinese high-performance car-maker claims to have set a new world speed record for electric vehicles by hitting a speed of 472.41km/h on a test track in Germany. Yangwang – a high-end sub-brand of the Chinese EV giant BYD – says that its U9 Track Edition supercar broke the record propelled by four 555kW, 30,000 rpm motors, with a combined rating of more than 3,000hp. The vehicle has a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217hp per tonne.
The record was set on 8 August at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track by German driver Marc Basseng, who set the previous EV speed record in 2024. “Last year, I thought I’d peaked,” he says. “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.”
Each of the EV’s four motors has an independent torque-vectoring system that monitors road feedback continuously, adjusting torque more than 100 times per second. Even at high speeds, the system is said to maintains absolute control over body posture, ensuring no wheel slip or loss of traction.
The car also incorporates the world’s first mass-produced 1.2kV ultra-high-voltage platform, paired with a thermal-management system optimised for extreme conditions.
During aggressive acceleration and cornering, or on uneven surfaces, an intelligent body control system performs rapid, independent vertical adjustments of the suspension at each corner of the vehicle. This not only suppresses pitch and roll – enhancing driver comfort – but also optimises the contact area between the tyres and the road, to maximise grip.
The record-breaking EV used high-performance, semi-slick tyres developed with Giti Tire. They use optimised compound materials and a bespoke tread design. A knurling treatment at the wheel-rim interface, combined with a high-viscosity lubricant, reduces slippage between the tyre and the rim during hard acceleration or braking. This reduces torque loss and tyre wear, while improving predictability and stability during dynamic manoeuvres.
Yangwang’s U9 Track Edition is based on the same e4 Platform and DiSus-X architecture as the U9 model which it currently sells in China. It is fitted with a carbon-fibre front splitter that is already in mass production.
