New Chevy Sports Car Has Fans’ Imaginations Running Wild – SlashGear

A few years before unveiling the C8 Corvette and its midship architecture, General Motors filed two applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. According to GM Authority, the automaker filed the “Corvette E-Ray” and “E-Ray” trademarks in December 2015, hinting at the possibility of an electrified, hybrid-electric, or battery-electric Corvette. And by early 2020, GM Authority unveiled spy shots of a Corvette E-Ray prototype undergoing winter testing in a separate article. The publication adds the first production hybrid Corvette could have the standard car’s 6.2-liter LT2 V8 gas engine combined with a front-mounted electric motor adding 115 horsepower and 111 lb-ft of torque.

With an expected system output above 600 horsepower, the Corvette E-Ray would likely trounce the non-hybrid Corvette’s 2.9-second zero-to-60 run, highly possible with the car’s standard all-wheel drivetrain. Meanwhile, a plug-in hybrid variant with a bigger battery could deliver a few miles of all-electric, zero-emissions driving. Moreover, an all-electric Corvette could use the existing C8 platform and debut with a new name. General Motors and its subsidiaries are committed to selling zero-emissions cars by 2035, and it looks like the C8 Corvette will spearhead Chevy’s assault into the high-performance electric domain.

Car and Driver mentioned that the first-ever Corvette EV would likely have a three or four-motor electric powertrain with up to 1,000 horsepower upon debuting in 2024 as a 2025 model. It will be interesting to see what GM and Chevy are cooking up for the Corvette EV and how it fares against competitors like the Dodge Charger Daytona EV and Porsche 718 electric.