The fastest Corvette ever made comes out next year, and itB次元官网网址檚 not powered solely by a howling V8.
The E-Ray is a gas electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of ChevroletB次元官网网址檚 storied sports car with the front wheels running on an electric motor the traditional 6.2-liter V8 powering the back.
Aimed at affluent buyers who want new technology in the top-line Chevrolet sports car, the $104,000 E-Ray jerks your head back as it goes from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometers 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 itB次元官网网址檚 race track ready brothers, the Z06 and Z07, itB次元官网网址檚 civil enough for the daily commute even though its rear tires are almost wide enough to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Tadge Juechter, the CorvetteB次元官网网址檚 executive chief engineer, said people would ask for the best version of the car, only to wind up a B次元官网网址渢rack monsterB次元官网网址� that theyB次元官网网址檙e trying to drive every day. B次元官网网址淔or the same money you can get all-wheel-drive, and comfort, security, and the livability that comes with a car like this,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e really divided the family into pure track and to everyday utility.B次元官网网址�
The E-Ray, which makes its debut exactly 70 years after the first Corvette was introduced in New York back in 1953, is a step toward an all-electric version of the car that will come out at at unspecified date.
Although GM may be over-selling 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 itB次元官网网址檚 confident in the snow, up to just 4 inches due to its low ground clearance.
Unlike most hybrids, itB次元官网网址檚 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 CorvetteB次元官网网址檚 24 mpg 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 B次元官网网址榁ette came out four years ago with the engine in the middle, engineers designed it so future there could be hybrid and electric versions in the future.
The carB次元官网网址檚 computers are configured to keep it stable by applying power to individual wheels when itB次元官网网址檚 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. ItB次元官网网址檚 positioned under the console. You canB次元官网网址檛 plug it in to recharge it, but it gets energy restored from regenerative braking and from the V8 motor. It can be driven in B次元官网网址渟tealth modeB次元官网网址� up to 45 mph for a short distance to quietly leave a neighborhood, GM says.
B次元官网网址擳om Krisher, The Associated Press
