Video of the Yangwang U9 Exterme hypercar's record-breaking run at 305.52 mph (4 photos + 1 video)
BYD-owned luxury brand Yangwang announced another achievement for its U9 electric hypercar. The coupe, in its new Extreme trim, reached a top speed of 496.22 km/h, which the manufacturer claims is a record. The run took place at Germany's Automotive Testing Papenburg—the same place where Croatian Rimac Automobili sets its speed records—a week ago, but details about it, including an onboard video, have only just emerged. 
The Yangwang U9 Extreme (U9X), previously known as the U9 Track Edition, is a track-focused, yet street-legal, electric vehicle with a more advanced aerodynamic package and a boosted powertrain. The output of each of the four electric motors has been more than doubled, from 240 to 555 kilowatts, bringing the total output from 1,306 to 3,019 metric horsepower.
Video of the hypercar's record-breaking lap
The hypercar also features a special battery with an advanced cooling system, capable of fully recharging 30 times in an hour, and specially developed GitiSport e·Gtr2 Pro semi-slick tires, designed for acceleration up to 500 km/h.
According to the manufacturer, the Yangwang U9X also improved the "regular U9's" lap time at the Nürburgring: it completed a lap of the Nordschleife in 6 minutes 59.157 seconds. This takes the record for production electric vehicles from the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra sedan (7 minutes 4.957 seconds). 
