Gas powered vehicles are faster at high speeds. Electric vehicles are
faster off the line. But what if we had a vehicle that did both? Let's get started.
[Intro]
Corvette's here filming a commercial for this...well, for the launch of this vehicle.
So there are some pretty sweet camera setups going around. Normally you don't see a Corvette
on the snowy roads and mountains of Utah, but this Corvette is different. With traction on all four
tires, thanks to the electric motor in the front and the gas powered V8 engine in the rear. This
is the 2024 Electrified Corvette E-Ray. Since the front half of this Corvette is electric,
it has the ability to be totally silent while it's creeping around under 45 miles an hour.
With 160 horsepower in the front alone, with 125 pound feet of torque,
under 45 miles it can be silent. Above that, the rear motor kicks on. Floor it!
And when it's floored the V8 kicks in bringing the almost 500 horsepower and
500 pound feet of torque from the rear. Both the motor and the engine working together
simultaneously. But of course, if you want the V8 working all the time it has that option,
then the electric motor just goes into play for acceleration and stabilization all the way up to
the top speed. And since it's a Corvette, you know that's fast. Today we're going to see how
both systems work in harmony together, and I think we should start with that test drive.
It's drive time! This is Ken. He's coming with us.
-Yeah.
-Let's go.
-Alright!
-Today's launch of the Corvette E-Ray marks the 70 year anniversary of the
original Corvette debut in New York way back in 1953.The original C1 had a solid rear axle,
and no Corvette until now has been an all-wheel drive. If you're puttering
around town using just the front electric motor you'll get about 5 miles worth of
extra range. The battery pack is not designed for commuting. It's designed for extra power
and extra traction to fill in the small gaps where we might find the V8 to be lacking.
-Alright, so ready?
-Good.
-So we're going to step into it.
-Yeah. Oh yeah! [Laughing]
As a bonus, a stealthy, silent exit prevents disturbing any residential
neighbors you might like, while still being able to kick on the V8
at any point to disturb the neighbors you don't like. It's the best of both worlds.
One of the perks of electrification is you know if you're accelerating onto the freeway
the Corvette will naturally downshift. But with an electric motor in the front that can kick on
during the downshift, you're accelerating while the vehicle is shifting. The electric motor is
ready to go no matter what speed the Corvette is traveling. And it's not just about the extra juice
while accelerating, since the gas motor in the rear and the electric motor and battery in the
front are independent from each other we get very responsive traction control on all four tires,
which translates to some pretty excellent dominance over the snow packed mountains roads
of Utah. Traction is extremely important when you're literally driving on ice.
With traction on all 4 tires, the only reason this thing can't go off-roading is because of
the ground clearance. Here in the front we also have two cameras so they can sense the curb and
avoid damage to the front air splitter. As well as back here we have an additional rear view
camera – that guy. This is the Seawolf Gray color and one of three new colors for 2024.
-[Dan] Yeah, probably should bring that in, but I can't do that with
my electric car! That is some power! It sounds loud, and I can feel it.
-That's legit. If you want to watch Dan's video, I'll leave a link for
him right here as well. Get his feedback on this electric/gas powered vehicle.
-[Dan] And on my video,
Zack's going to do the same thing. We're going to watch his hair go up. [Laughing]
-That was mean, man.
-[Dan] That was mean!
-At first glance walking around the vehicle, I'll get to underneath the hood here in a second,
we have the massive vents on the side for the radiator. But over here the first thing that
caught my eye was the aluminum wheels and the giant carbon ceramic rotor that has all the
stopping power for this vehicle. You might have noticed there's not a charging port.
This is for the recycled dinosaurs going back to the motor and that's because all
of the charging done for the 1.9 kilowatt hour battery is done through regen. The
electric motor uses the weight of the vehicle as it's slowing down for stop signs or stop
lights to put power back into the 1.9 kilowatt hour battery. This wasn't built
to be an electric commuter, it's built to be the quickest Corvette they've ever made.
Let's check out underneath the hood where the electric motor is
sitting. You might think there's no extra space, but in fact there is a
frunk. To unlatch the hood inside of this radiator grille area there's a button.
The hood is popped. This is still a pre production unit, but we have space in here for
a small suitcase, couple backpacks. The electric motor does not take up much room. Let's check out
behind. TO get access to the V8 underneath the trunk space we can lift up the hood and that's
where the majority of the power is at. We do have room here. This could probably fit some golf clubs
in this container back here. These guys right here are the adjustable magnetic ride suspension which
is standard on all of the Corvettes. The V8 in the trunk back here is not operating at 100% power all
the time, just how we have the electric motor assisting at the initial stage of acceleration.
When just driving around town there is active fuel management which allows four cylinders of
the V8 to power the vehicle and only engage all 8 of the V8 when it's fully needed. The
switch between 8 cylinders and 4 is perceptible to the driver and also happens on the freeway
to help save gas. No one cares about saving gas....let's just say the new Corvette isn't
qualifying for any EV tax credits. Another thing I thought was pretty cool are these vents right
here that actually pass through to the other side letting the engine be air cooled from the rear.
Let's check out the inside.
Yeah! Woo! This thing feels like a fighter jet. Not sure if you can see it with the glare
but we have hand stitched leather, Bose sound system, carbon fiber everywhere on the interior,
and the 1.9 kilowatt hour battery is in this center console between the passenger
and the driver. There are only two seats, two displays, with more carbon fiber on
the steering wheel. We have the E-Ray right here with the Corvette logo in the center.
Fancy stitching everywhere. Check out this door right here – that looks amazing.
I've been told that this 2024 Corvette E-Ray has a 0-60 of 2.5 on an unprepped surface,
which makes it the fastest Corvette ever made, giving it a super quick off the line
as well as a super high top speed. Kind of the best of both worlds in a sports car.
We have cup holders, drive selections over here,
another glove compartment in the center. And I'm not sure you can see it or not,
but it's kind of crazy just having the engine right there behind my head through the rear
window. This piece of glass doesn't go to the back of the car, it goes to the engine compartment
which is right behind the driver's seat. And it looks like the roof can come off as well,
but since we're in the middle of winter in Utah, we're going to leave the roof on for now.
And there we have it – the world's first Electrified Corvette. The perks of electric
and the perks of gasoline combined into one vehicle. I think this is going to make some
major waves in the supercar/sports car world, and they will be shipping this
summer. If you have any questions go ahead and leave them down in the comments. Come
hang out with me on Instagram. And thanks a ton for watching. I'll see you around.