Fastest Corvette ever is gas-electric hybrid

The fastest Corvette ever made comes out next year, and it’s not powered solely by a howling V8.

The E-Ray is a gas-electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of Chevrolet’s storied sports car, with the front wheels running on an electric motor the traditional 6.2-litre V8 powering the back.

Aimed at affluent buyers who want new technology in the top-line Chevrolet sports car, the US$104,000 E-Ray jerks your head back as it goes from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometres per hour) in 2.5 seconds. General Motors says it can cover a quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.

Both those figures are slightly faster than it’s race track-ready brothers, the Z06 and Z07. It’s civil enough for the daily commute, even though its rear tires are almost wide enough to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

Tadge Juechter, the Corvette’s executive chief engineer, said people would ask for the best version of the car, only to wind up a “track monster” that they’re trying to drive every day.

“For the same money you can get all-wheel-drive, and comfort, security, and the liveability that comes with a car like this,” he said. “We’ve really divided the family into pure track and to everyday utility.”

The E-Ray, which makes its début exactly 70 years after the first Corvette was introduced in New York back in 1953, is a step towards an all-electric version of the car that will come out at unspecified date.

Although GM may be overselling the practicality, the E-Ray does come with all-season tires so it can be driven year-round, and the all-wheel-drive system is configured so it’s confident in the snow, up to just four inches, due to its low ground clearance.

Unlike most hybrids, it’s not really made for efficiency, although will get a little better city mileage than a standard Stingray at 16 mpg. But because of higher mass and air drag, it will do worse than the standard Corvette’s 24 miles per gallon on the highway. The electric motor adds 160 horsepower to the 495 generated by the V8, for a total of 655. Both systems come on at once for maximum acceleration.

Engineers say its technology sets the stage for the all-electric Corvette. When the latest generation of ‘Vette came out four years ago with the engine in the middle, engineers designed it so there could be hybrid and electric versions in the future.

The car’s computers are configured to keep it stable by applying power to individual wheels when it’s slippery. GM engineers say most electronic stability controls rely on braking individual wheels.

The 1.9 kilowatt-hour battery is relatively small, compared with a full-electric vehicle. It’s positioned under the console. You can’t plug it in to recharge it, but it gets energy restored from regenerative braking and from the V8 motor. It can be driven in ‘stealth mode’ up to 45 mph for a short distance to quietly leave a neighbourhood, GM says.

AP