[ENGINE ROARING]
[TIRES SQUEALING]
BRIAN WONG: We are here with the first electric Corvette
or should we say electrified Corvette.
The C8 generation of the Corvette
was always meant to push the boundaries of what
an American sports car could be, taking the engine
from where tradition said it belonged to where physics
wants it-- right in the middle.
We didn't think that would be the only provocative move
that this generation of the Vette would make
and we were right.
This is the Corvette E-Ray and it adds two more things never
before seen on the Corvette--
a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive.
Now traditionalists, they might turn their nose up
at something like this, but the argument that the E-Ray makes
is speed because this has the quickest acceleration
stats of any Corvette ever.
[ENGINE ROARING]
Today we're going to look at how it does it
and explain how it's a little bit
different than the existing Z06 and Stingray models.
But before we tell you more about the Corvette NSX--
excuse me, we mean E-Ray--
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And if you're looking to your car,
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
The E-Ray continues in the burgeoning automotive tradition
that bothers me to no end of just slapping an E onto
the front of a name to show that it's electrified--
sounds a bit too much like a place
you'd bid on some memorabilia but at least it's
not the Corvette Mach-E, so we count our blessings.
How does the E-Ray earn that extra initial?
Its hybrid powertrain, which is comprised of two main parts.
The first one is very familiar-- an LT2 small block
V8 making 495 horsepower and 470 pounds feet of torque,
just like it does in the entry level Stingray model.
Paired to the engine is a 1.9 kilowatt
hour battery pack and a single electric motor,
good for another 160 ponies and 125 pounds
feet of torque on its own.
We'll do the math for you.
That's 655 total system horsepower.
[GASPS]
The Z06 remains the most powerful Corvette
with 670 horsepower.
That's 15 more than the E-Ray, but there is a difference
between the two in torque.
Chevy didn't provide a total torque figure for the E-Ray
since you can't simply add them together.
The two don't quite work in concert like that.
But they would say that it produces enough torque
that it outpaces the Z06 by quite a bit.
Another advantage for the E-Ray, that power gets
sent to all four wheels.
The gas engine drives the rear wheels and the electric motor
drives the front, giving the coupe crazy shove off the line.
That helps the E-Ray hit 60 miles an hour
in just 2.5 seconds.
And it continues on to demolish the quarter mile in 10.5.
For having drastically different powertrains,
the Z06 and E-Ray are very close when it comes to performance.
According to Chevy, the all-wheel drive hybrid
is 0.1 seconds quicker, both to 60 miles an hour
and in the quarter mile.
Those are claims we'll have to put
to the test on our own track very soon.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let's take a closer look at this powertrain
and see some of the changes Chevy made
to the V8 for the E-Ray.
And we'll start by using our ears, not our eyes.
This clip is from a ride-along we got this week.
Listen closely.
[ENGINE REVVING]
What you're hearing is the V8 competing with or I guess
"e-hancing" the sound of the E motor.
Now, this sound is artificial and piped
into the cabin via the speakers.
It's a very different sound from the Z06's is high
revving wail that we love.
And we said different, not better.
The only way to turn of the electric noise in the cabin
is to actually turn the exhaust down on the engine as well.
So your two options are no electric noise but no V8
as well or you get both noises.
That's too bad.
When you want things quieter, the car fires up in stealth
mode, which is basically I-like-my-neighbors mode.
You can leave your garage and head down
the street in total silence.
The E-Ray will run on electric power
alone until you hit 45 miles an hour
or until the battery pack gets down to 20%.
Heavy throttle inputs will also wake the V8 up.
And you'll notice that there isn't a place
to plug in the Corvette.
The battery charges mostly from brake regeneration.
If you're on a track there's also
a new charge plus drive mode and that
keeps the battery topped up for maximum performance
over multiple laps through a combination
of regenerative braking and using the engine
to help charge the battery at speeds
of over 15 miles an hour.
So, in theory, you can drive the era
at full power for long periods of time--
another claim we look forward to trying out ourselves.
[ENGINE REVVING]
You might be curious how all this is packaged
and it seems that the engineers really
went out of their way to keep everything
as compact as possible.
The V8 is behind the seats as normal
and there's also a new lithium-ion 12-volt battery
in the frunk.
So where is the battery pack?
It's actually tucked in the tunnel
between the front passengers, along with the rest
of the electric components as this cutaway shows.
The battery is just 1.9 kilowatt hours,
so it's not that big, about the size of a medium duffel bag.
Placing it in that tunnel between the front passengers
helps to lower the center of gravity of the car
slightly and shift the weight bias forward to touch.
The E-Ray ends up weighing 340 pounds more than a Z06,
but somehow it's still quicker.
Chevy also recalibrated the fuel system
so the car can run on four cylinders
for longer periods of time.
That's right.
Most of the time you see a Corvette,
it's actually only using four cylinders.
And now when you see when rolling down the street,
it might only be using electric power.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Visually, the E-Ray stands out from the rest
of the Corvette pack with some different styling cues.
It's 3.6 inches wider than the base Stingray, borrowing body
panels from the Z06.
But unlike the Z08's center quad exhausts,
the E-Ray keeps them behind each wheel.
[ENGINE REVVING]
There's also a unique rear fascia,
along with bright electric blue badges.
And if you really want to be shouty,
Chevy offers a body stripe in the same electric blue color
only available on the E-Ray.
This all-wheel drive Vette comes on a staggered 20
and 21-inch wheels with a unique five-spoke design.
They're also wrapped in unique Pilot Sport all-season
tires that were specially developed for this car
by Michelin.
If you want a summer tire, Michelin
Pilot Sport 4 S' are available, unlike on the Z06
where they come standard.
Now the summer tires do add a lot of grip.
On a skidpad, Chevy says the E-Ray
will pull 1.1 lateral G's with a summer tire and 1.0
with the all-seasons.
This is also the first C8 to come standard
with carbon ceramic brakes and those will definitely
come in handy when slowing down this heavier machine.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The interior isn't drastically different from other C8 models,
but there are a few things that are E-Ray specific.
You can use this toggle switch here to go through all six
of the different drive modes, including
the stealth and charge plus modes we discussed earlier.
The digital gauge cluster shows the flow of power
and where it's coming from.
You can also see how efficient it occurs over a road trip,
for example--
less fun to brag about, but more fun for your bank account.
[ENGINE REVVING]
Obviously there's a lot more story to tell with the E-Ray,
but that won't really come until we
drive the car later this year.
There is one more big thing that we can share with you now,
though, and that is pricing.
The E-Ray starts at just over $104,000 and that
puts it at about $2,000 less than the Z06.
Now for some traditionalists, the Z06
will always be the answer.
But we think that for a forward-thinking Corvette
buyer, the E-Ray holds a lot of appeal.
While this is the first Corvette to use electricity
to enhance performance, we don't think it will be the last.
[MUSIC PLAYING]