After claiming a series of EV speed records recently, the BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme (U9X) has taken the crown once again, setting a new lap record of 6:59.157 as the fastest EV production car to lap the notorious Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit.
Compared to the previous record holder, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s time of 7:04.957, the U9X is 5.8 seconds faster around the Green Hell. You might recall the SU7 Ultra’s 6:46.874 lap previously, but that time was set under the Prototypes vehicles category using a pre-production vehicle, which is not considered a road-legal series record.
Piloting the Yangwang U9 Xtreme is Moritz Kranz, an experienced German racer who has notched up almost 10,000 laps of the Nordschleife circuit during a career in GT competition.
The U9 Xtreme is equipped with four electric motors that produce a whopping 3,019 hp. Juicing these horses is a 1200V ultra-high-voltage system, replacing the standard model’s 800V setup. The BYD Blade Battery equipped here also supports a 30C discharge rate, meaning it can release 30 times its capacity in one hour.
To conquer the Nurburgring’s classic 20.832 km circuit, the U9 Xtreme features a completely redesigned cooling system and a new titanium-alloy carbon-ceramic braking system. It also wears special semi-slick tyres jointly developed with Giti.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is now being made available to customers, with a limited series production run of no more than 30 units.
Will Xiaomi decide to roll up its sleeves and unleash its SU7 Ultra to retake the crown as the fastest production EV around the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit? Only time will tell.
