The Croatian electric vehicle manufacturer Rimac has raised skepticism over reports that the new Chinese YangWang U9 Track Edition could deliver a combined 2,977 horsepower, a figure that would surpass the Rimac Nevera R by nearly 900 hp.
Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac Automobili, commented on the Apex Automotor Facebook group that “most Chinese EVs use LFP cells, I doubt that any of them can deliver 20+C discharge rates (even for 1 second) that would be needed to deliver 2+ Megawatts of power.”
The Nevera R, Rimac added, uses “the latest and greatest in performance battery cell technology,” with the system limited to roughly 1.5 megawatts of power, or 2,107 hp. He noted that while the battery could provide more output, the motors and inverters are at their limits. “It will probably do 2 MW for a couple of seconds,” he said, “but not without beefing up the rest of the powertrain.”
Rimac also highlighted the importance of traction, pointing out that the Nevera R is “already above the traction limit of the highest performance road tires on the market until 100 mph.” He said that if the YangWang U9 Track Edition truly had nearly 1,000 hp more, “it would probably not be able to put the power down until 150+ mph,” adding that peak power is only one metric, and “how that power is delivered and sustained” is more relevant.
According to data released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the U9 Track Edition features four electric motors, each rated at 744 hp or 555 kW, producing the combined figure of 2,977 hp. However, there is no confirmation that all four motors can simultaneously operate at peak output in real-world driving conditions.
