If the Olympics have taught us anything it is that just making it to the podium is an accomplishment worthy of celebration.
And that’s what the battery-powered Yangwang U9 has just done. The electric supercar hit a top speed of 233 mph in a recent test, according to Electrek. That makes the car the third fastest EV in the world.
Yangwang, which is owned by BYD, first shared news of the U9’s feat on Chinese social media platform Weibo earlier this week. The company did not reveal where testing took place but did share a video that shows the EV reaching a top speed of 375.12 km/h, or 233 mph. That speed means the U9 ranks only behind the Aspark Owl (which has a top speed of 272 mph) and the Rimac Nevera (258 mph), but ahead of electric supercars like the Pininfarina Battista (222 mph) and Lotus Evija (218 mph) as far as the world’s fastest EVs are concerned.
What might be most impressive about the U9’s top speed is how much faster it is than the top speed that was quoted when the car made its debut earlier this year. In February, Yangwang said the U9 would peak at 192 mph, which, itself, was a more than respectable amount, especially for an EV that doesn’t carry a seven-figure price tag like the rest of the world’s fastest EVs. The actual difference between the two numbers is an incredible 41 mph.
It’s not all that surprising to see the U9 rubbing shoulders with such powerful EVs, though. Yangwang designed and engineered he car to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. The stylish coupé is built upon BYD’s e4 platform and has a powerful motor located at each wheel. The potent setup produces 1,300 horses and 1,239 ft lbs of torque. At the time of its unveiling, the marque said the EV could sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 2.36 seconds, but the gap between projected and final top speed makes one wonder if it’s even quicker.
Best of all, as mentioned earlier, the U9 won’t set you back millions of dollars. Instead, it starts at around $235,450. Now, if BYD would just bring it to the U.S.
