Hello Elon Musk, BYD already has its own Tesla Roadster

Elon Musk has made big promises about the new Tesla Roadster. Fans of the electric vehicle brand apparently have to be patient unless they want to switch to BYD. The Chinese automaker is launching its own electric sports car this month.

We no longer have to explain to you what BYD is. After all, the brand is one of the biggest players in the Chinese automotive sector and has been trying to gain a foothold in Europe for some time. Several models are also for sale in the Netherlands.

BYD’s answer to Elon Musk

However, not this new sports car yet. The Super EV is said to be an answer to Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster. Well, answer? We’re still waiting for the Tesla-badged supercar, while BYD is launching its supercar as early as the end of this month.

The Chinese car giant does this under its own flag. No, it uses its brand new luxury brand YangWang for this. This Tesla Roadster competitor is therefore called YangWang U9. However, the styling clearly shows that this is a BYD product. For example, pay attention to the design of the headlight units. This is reminiscent of the lighting on the BYD Seal.

YangWang U9 vs Tesla Roadster specifications

Is the electric vehicle theoretically comparable to Tesla’s supercar? Naturally. According to BYD, the Chinese electric monster sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2 seconds and produces around 1,300 hp. This makes it faster than the Roadster, which has a sprint time of 2.1 seconds as promised by Elon Musk.

However, at 300 km/h the speed limiter kicks in and the Tesla Roadster continues to accelerate to a claimed top speed of more than 400 km/h. And while the roadster promises a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, the BYD super sports car has a range limited to 700 kilometers. If Elon Musk and BYD pull it off, those would both be impressive reach numbers.

Extremely heavy super EV

To achieve this range (or come close to it), BYD installs a 100 kWh battery in the floor of its electric vehicle. A huge battery that, together with the four electric motors, increases the weight of the Tesla Roadster competitor to 2,475 kilograms. Not exactly the weight you’d expect from a supercar. Nevertheless, we are excited about this YangWang U9. Just be patient, we will know more after the launch on February 25th.

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