BYD's new Yangwang U9 Xtreme, a limited-edition track hypercar, debuted with a 2,220-kW four-motor system, a {{496.22 km/h}} top speed, and a new Nürburgring time of 6:59.157.
You are right in pointing this out, but I doubt it would change things much: the BYD car doesn’t seem to be that extreme in terms of downforce and if, for reference, an F1 car can generate around 1500kg of downforce at 200km/h, I wouldn’t expect more than some hundred kg on the EV. At a weight of 2500kg, it is a relevant but small percentage, only in fast sections of the circuit. On the flip side, they have to lift even more because of increased drag.
And generally regarding the weight: this is exactly the point, huge power at the cost of huge weight is a big trade off, even with the undersized battery they use. That’s why power/weight ratio is the thing to look for, but in this case physical limits are the ceiling against which the BYD bumps. It is nevertheless an extremely impressive car and pretty visionary.
You are right in pointing this out, but I doubt it would change things much: the BYD car doesn’t seem to be that extreme in terms of downforce and if, for reference, an F1 car can generate around 1500kg of downforce at 200km/h, I wouldn’t expect more than some hundred kg on the EV. At a weight of 2500kg, it is a relevant but small percentage, only in fast sections of the circuit. On the flip side, they have to lift even more because of increased drag.
And generally regarding the weight: this is exactly the point, huge power at the cost of huge weight is a big trade off, even with the undersized battery they use. That’s why power/weight ratio is the thing to look for, but in this case physical limits are the ceiling against which the BYD bumps. It is nevertheless an extremely impressive car and pretty visionary.