Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror

Comment Re:The problem probably isn't the disks (Score 2) 71

by ArchieBunker (#66412902) Attached to: FAA Phases Out Floppy Disks From Air Traffic Control

The problem is more so the electronics. We're seeing lots of drive failures from late 80s early 90s PS/2 machines because a few tiny electrolytic caps start leaking. You also run into things like grease drying up and turning into glue and tiny nylon gears becoming brittle and cracking. I was so happy when 3.5" floppies went away.

Submission + - Yangwang U9 Xtreme Sets New Guinness Production Car Speed Record (forbes.com)

Submitted by ArchieBunker
ArchieBunker writes: Yangwang, the luxury division of Chinese automotive giant BYD, has just set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest production car.

The record was set on a closed section of freeway in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, by the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, which hit 503.17 km/h, or 312.66 mph. This sees the electric hypercar eclipse its own record, and passes the 500 km/h barrier for the first time.

Performed on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, also known as the E11, in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region on 1 November, the speed run was recognized by both Guinness World Records and the FIA, the governing body of world motorsport.

Guinness World Records officials confirmed two titles: the highest speed achieved by a production car in a single-direction run, and the equivalent record for an electric production car.

The car was driven by German racing driver Marc Basseng, who also drove the U9 Xtreme to a previous best of 496.22 km/h (308.34 mph) in Germany in 2025.

The U9 Xtreme is an electric hypercar with a claimed 3,000 horsepower from four motors – an output around 50% greater than that of rival EVs like the Lotus Evija and Rimac Nevera, and almost twice that of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, a former speed record holder.

Limited to just 30 units, production of the U9 Xtreme is expected to start soon, with BYD saying some customers have approved their bespoke specifications.

BYD said the 4.35-mile stretch of closed freeway was swept and inspected for stray wire fragments left by cleaning brushes ahead of the run. Two runs took place on 31 October and produced a maximum speed of 490 km/h. BYD’s engineers then worked overnight on battery and motor temperature preparation, adjusted the rear wing to provide extra downforce, revised the suspension damping and fine-tuned tire pressures.

Unlike most other electric cars, which operate at either 400 or 800 volts, the U9 Xtreme makes use of a 1,200-volt architecture to help with thermal management. The car uses the same lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery technology as used by other cars made by BYD and its sub-brands.

A bespoke set of semi-slick tires developed jointly by Giti Tire and Yangwang were used for the record-breaking run, but it isn’t clear yet if these will be available for customers, or if the 30 production cars will be capable of the same top speed, at least in customer specification.

Slashdot Top Deals

Take your work seriously but never take yourself seriously; and do not take what happens either to yourself or your work seriously. -- Booth Tarkington

Close