496.22 km/h: Looking Up to U9X Setting a New Record, but Has the Territory of Fuel Vehicles Truly Collapsed?

In the automotive world, speed records are like the 100-meter dash in sports: not something people pay attention to every day, but when someone breaks a record, the entire world takes notice.

Recently, the Yangwang U9 Track Special Edition—U9 Xtreme (abbreviated as U9X) reached a top speed of 496.22 km/h, claiming the top spot on the global automotive charts. This not only redefines the perception of electric vehicles but also surpasses the top supercars of the previous fuel-powered era.

In the era of gasoline vehicles, names like Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, Koenigsegg Jesko, and SSC Tuatara were almost synonymous with speed. Their records were often locked around 480 km/h, considered the limit sculpted by internal combustion engines and aerodynamics. Now, looking up to the U9X, which uses a combination of motors and batteries, the benchmark is easily pushed to nearly 500 km/h.

Does this really mean that speed is no longer the last stronghold of internal combustion engines, but rather a sign of the comprehensive overtaking by electric drives?

Why can Skyward U9X achieve it?

First is the unlimited technological stack. The U9X is based on the world's first mass-produced full-domain 1200V ultra-high voltage platform, equipped with four motors that can reach speeds of up to 30,000 RPM, with a combined horsepower of over 3000 Ps and a power-to-weight ratio of up to 1217 Ps/t. This is no longer a conventional vehicle; it resembles a four-wheeled missile wrapped in a carbon fiber shell.

Secondly, there is a breakthrough in systemic engineering. To maintain high speed and stability, the U9X has restructured its cooling system, with comprehensive upgrades to the oil pump, motor cooling, and dual-layer heat dissipation structure, ensuring consistent power delivery. The battery is not the traditional "energy warehouse," but rather an "energy cannon" supporting a 30C discharge rate, maintaining stable output during instant acceleration and deceleration recovery.

Furthermore, Yangwang has introduced innovations in terms of "vehicle posture control" and braking. The titanium alloy carbon-ceramic brake discs and the Yun-nian-X dynamic control allow for speed not just in terms of acceleration, but also in terms of control and stability. It is also worth mentioning that to tackle the physical barrier of 500 km/h, Yangwang has even collaborated with Giti to develop exclusive semi-slick tires, using aramid fiber—a material commonly found in bulletproof vests—to counteract centrifugal force.

Differences in Logic Between Electric Drive and Fuel Power

To break through the speed limit, a gasoline engine must continuously extract more from its engine: increasing displacement, adding turbos, and enhancing combustion efficiency. Unfortunately, the "power curve" of gasoline engines inherently has a peak value, and breaking through requires extremely high engineering complexity and cost. Bugatti's 8.0L W16 with four turbos and Koenigsegg's V8 with twin turbos are both examples of pushing limits by stacking components. However, the problem is that the higher the power curve climbs, the steeper and more unstable it becomes.

Electric motors are completely different. The characteristics of electric motors include instant high torque, a wide power platform, and easier power stacking (multi-motor layout, ultra-high voltage platform). The 1200V electric drive + four motors of the Yangwang U9X is equivalent to tying together four Bugatti engines.

From another perspective, the pursuit of top speed in fuel-powered cars is essentially about continuously refining the machinery, including the engine, transmission, and aerodynamics. In contrast, electric vehicles are more like a technology cluster, a product of systematic engineering.

Gazing up at the U9X's cloud carriage -X, which controls the body posture, the Easy Four System allocates braking force, and the tire material even utilizes aramid fiber from bulletproof vests. All these hardware and software collaborations work together, allowing for speed breakthroughs that no longer rely on a single point of limit, but instead depend on the coordination of the entire system.

The real contest after speed

However, problems follow. First, the speed records are almost meaningless for the majority of users. The number of people who can buy the U9X is extremely limited; with only 30 units available globally, it is not a choice for the general public.

Secondly, behind the rapid breakthroughs of electric vehicles lies the trade-off between energy consumption and safety limits. 496 km/h sounds impressive, but scenarios where this speed can be safely replicated outside the track are almost non-existent. In other words, this is more like a technological showcase rather than a path to market proliferation.

Thirdly, the industry needs to be wary of the illusion of "speed worship." What electric vehicles truly require is safety, durability, and energy replenishment efficiency in common user scenarios. Overly chasing high speeds may end up resembling the past smartphone pixel wars, where the numbers are merely gratifying but offer limited help to the actual experience.

The 496.22 km/h of the Yangwang U9X is a technical milestone worth remembering. It proves that Chinese brands are now capable of making their mark at the pinnacle of global performance cars. However, the more important question is: beyond speed, can electrification truly penetrate more scenarios, and can this technological accumulation be transformed into an industrial advantage? This is the next question that Yangwang and the entire industry need to answer.

After all, what car owners really need is not a supercar that can reach 500 km/h, but an electric vehicle that remains stable and reliable 500 days later.(This article was first published on the TMT App, edited by |Li Yupeng