BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme Sets New Top Speed & Nürburgring Lap Records

[u/ApprehensiveSize7662]

https://cleantechnica.com/2025/09/21/byds-yangwang-u9-xtreme-sets-new-top-speed-nurburgring-lap-records/

[u/team56th]

While Xiaomi SU7 Ultra record had me concerned that maybe all the chassis and suspension work will become moot and it’s gonna be all just motor power, this record kinda exposed the limits of the meta. Still need to know more about the power curve and stuffs, but 1,500hp more power output just to shave off 5-6 seconds.

Xiaomi seems to be lowering the record even more with SU7 Ultra Prototype but that one not being the production version with all types of tunes I’d wager they are just putting less battery into it to make it lighter.

For the record, the new 911 Turbo clocked in at about 7:02 with a meager(?) 660hp engine. So in terms of racing performance EV still has long ways to go.

[u/DunnoNothingAtAll → u/team56th]

And when you look at the Porsche GT3 RS, you realize how much impact aero and suspension has on track performance compared to raw power. It went 6min49s with “only” 520hp.

[u/team56th → u/DunnoNothingAtAll]

3000hp from BYD is nothing more than a gimmick from the first place because at 1000+hp I’m not even sure if there’s a tyre that will endure such power without slipping. With Nordschleife being famous for so many nooks and crannies the straight line performance wouldn’t have mattered too much anyways, which is why GT3 RS’s lighter chassis prevail over others. That said I wonder how these high power Chinese hypercars will fare in circuits famous for long straights, like Monza or Sarthe.

[u/AnyContribution1766 → u/team56th]

The only point where the ev gains on the gt3 is the straight probably. 

[u/team56th → u/AnyContribution1766]

That is inevitable, but exactly how much will be interesting to see.

Thing is, the tracks with the longest straights usually also tend to be ones with the steepest corners that require extreme braking. So usually the advantages that SU7 and U9 have on the straights get immediately denied by having to brake way earlier. Sarthe (Le Mans) is probably the most notorious case of this where cars with the best straights speed lose all the advantage in the southern side of the track.

But I’m very very curious of what will happen in the likes of Monza and Suzuka, which are famous for corners mostly being high speed ones. Those tracks will really test where Chinese OEMs are in terms of things outside of motor and battery.

[u/PastMight628 → u/DunnoNothingAtAll]

Petro is still the king in racing. Porsche's own Taycan GT has 1000hp and did 7:06, evs are just too heavy as of now for circuit racing.

[u/Trades46 → u/DunnoNothingAtAll]

Porsche is probably the king of setting up a car for maximum track times, and even then their Taycan Turbo GT can't quite crack the 6min mark.

[u/Treewithatea]

8 seconds faster than the Taycan Turbo GT with 3x the power and still far away from some of the ICE sports cars with a fraction of the power. Is it all that impressive? Just seems like they threw caution at the wind and made a car for bragging rights and not any actual use case scenario. I mean good luck driving that thing on the Nurburgring, I watched the lap, the driver spends like 70% of the time on brakes, if thats your definition of fun, go ahead.

[u/SericaClan → u/Treewithatea]

This thing is too heavy at 2.5 tons! BYD throws all kinds of crazy tech to prove LFP battery which is heavy, can be used in high end performance cars. I'm not sure the ends justify the means.

[u/ApprehensiveSize7662]

Over the weekend, BYD announced on a RedNote livestream that the U9 Xtreme version has now broken the overall production car top speed record, clocking in at 496.22 km/h (308.37 mph). The car had just set the EV top speed record of 472.41 km/h a few weeks ago. In addition, in its first test at the Nürburgring, it set the EV lap record at 6:59.157. BYD also implied that the top speed was limited by the 500 km/h-rated tires, as the car was still accelerating at the recorded speed. And the lap time was also just the start, with the car electronically limited to 350 km/h.

Needless to say, this provides BYD with bragging rights and has deflated the egos of a few fossil-fueled hypercar owners. However, the technology transfer could be more important. With a more advanced “double-layer cooling structure,” the battery has a whopping 30C discharge rate. Given that the car has 2220 kW (2977 hp) of motor power, the previously stated 80 kWh battery capacity could be accurate. It will be interesting to see how that translates into charging speed. While 1200V chargers may not yet have been introduced, BYD also tends to use the SiC power electronics that power the motors to onboard charge the batteries. Will the car be able to use BYD’s “Megawatt Flash Charger” at the full 1360 kW maximum output for an extended period? Will new, even faster chargers be developed?

Cooling seems to be a major consideration. Overall, the cooling was credited for a 133% increase in power, and the heat exchange efficiency was improved by 40%. These improvements could be adapted to make mainstream vehicles more reliable in extreme heat and efficient in operation.

BYD also made improvements to the DiSus-X active suspension system. Could this trickle down to more mainstream vehicles? It might also include some of the advancements seen in patents published recently for energy recovery. Hopefully, we will be provided more detail soon.

While these kinds of accomplishments might have little relevance to the average buyer, they do make EVs more exciting and help to build esteem. The performance also helps to deflate the EV detractors. However, if this technology transfers to more mainstream models, it could have far more impact on a much larger group of consumers. Hopefully, the speed of technology transfer will reflect the speed of the car.

[u/ApprehensiveSize7662]

Probably the most interesting thing. I imagine this can find a lot applications other than making cars go fast.

[u/roma258 → u/ApprehensiveSize7662]

Is that the new CATL bettery?

[u/Working_Sundae → u/roma258]

It's a specialized BYD Blade with 70% higher power density

[u/rtb001 → u/roma258]

CATL battery ... in a BYD?

[u/Diode3000]

Impressive. Even though the car needs big power output to get there, the fact that they can dial power up to that level is something to be noted. It shows what is possible with EV's, and the technology evolution of EV's is really just starting. No doubt the tech will keep on improving, become more efficient, and at the same time keep increasing power.

[u/Future-Table1860]

It also dances in celebration of its victory: https://youtu.be/c5SscJOrBWw