While BYD is already a dominant force in the electric vehicle market in China, its expansion into Western markets, particularly Europe, positions it in direct competition with established giants like Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen.
The BYD Han, in particular, stands as a significant model in this expansion, directly competing with renowned vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan and the BMW i5. The Han boasts an impressive set of features on paper, offering all-wheel drive, an extensive electric range of 521km on the WLTP cycle, and a competitive pricing strategy that positions it favorably against its rivals. This move by BYD signifies a strategic push to establish a strong presence and gain a significant market share in Europe’s rapidly evolving automotive landscape.
ZEEKR, a brand in the Geely group dedicated to EVs, has set two new Guinness World Records for electric cars – one for the fastest drift and the other for the fastest through a slalom. The records were achieved less than a year since the brand started delivering cars to customers in China.
The fastest EV drift requires the vehicle to achieve greater than 160 km/h and the 001 model was able to reach a maximum speed of 207.996 km/h. The EV has a high-performance dual electric drive powertrain which generates instantaneous torque of up to 7,680 Nm. It is capable of going from standstill to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.
Of course, when you hit such a high speed and put the car sideways, superior control is needed and ZEEKR says that the 001’s high-performance chassis suspension system maximizes body stability so the driver can maintain consistent and precise drifting right on the edge of the performance envelope.
For the second record, the 001 weaved between 50 cones equally spaced and completed the course, without touching or knocking any down, in 49.05 seconds. The stability and precision were maximized by the electric 4-wheel drive, with the intelligent power distribution and the balance between the front and rear wheels allowing the 001 to switch directions qucikly as it travelled at high speed around each cone .
The records were set recently under the supervision of an adjudicator from the Guinness World Records organization at the CATARC proving ground in China.
A slalom is a driving exercise where you pilot a car in between cones as fast as you can. It seems easy enough swinging the car left and right but to do it at speed requires judgement so you don’t hit the cones and also managing the speed so you don’t slide out.
Recently, a 16-year old driver, Chloe Chambers, set a new world record for driving through a slalom with a time of 47.45 seconds. The time, officially recognised by the Guinness World Records organisation as the Fastest Vehicle Slalom, beat a previous record of 48.114 seconds set in China with a Chevrolet Camaro in 2018.
Chloe, who has been driving since she was 11 and races go-karts, set the record in a standard Porsche 718 Spyder with a manual gearbox and standard tyres. It’s not surprising that she was able to do so well as karters do require sharp skills and quick reflexes.
50 cones 15.2 metres apart
The slalom consisted of 50 cones laid in a straight line 50 feet (15.2 metres) apart over a distance of 2, 500 feet (762 metres) at a small airport in New Jersey, USA. Her record time of 47.45 seconds would mean her average speed from start to finish was around 58 km/h.
“It looks easy, but it’s really not – to weave between 50 cones as fast as possible, trying to beat a record time and knowing I couldn’t touch a single one for the run to count – I definitely felt the pressure,” she said. “Everything came together on my final run; the car worked beautifully, and I found the grip I needed. Thank you to my family and to Porsche for supporting and believing in me.”
PASM and PSM help
The driving dynamics and driver assist technologies would also have helped, especially the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system. This is an electronic damping control system, which continuously adjusts the damping force on each wheel, based on current road conditions and driving style. In enhancing performance, it increases driving stability which would certainly help as the car swerves left and right at high speed.
The other helpful system is Porsche Stability Management. Also an electronic control system, it uses sensors to continuously monitor the direction, speed, yaw velocity and lateral acceleration of the car. It also maximizes grip when accelerating on inconsistent road surfaces.
The 718 Spyder that Chloe drove had a 4-litre naturally aspirated boxer 6-cylinder engine producing 414 bhp at 8,000 rpm. It has helper springs on the rear axle and a ride height that is 30 mm lower than a standard 718 Boxster or Cayman, making it ideal for slaloms.
Visit www.porsche.com.my to know more about Porsche models available in Malaysia.
