The Corvette turns 70 this year and Chevrolet has given it a birthday present and, yes, quite obviously the present if the fastest Corvette ever made. What has surprised a few petrolheads is that it is electrified.
Yup, you read that correctly - the iconic sports car from America has made its first foray into the electric world. The Corvette E-Ray is the car in question and it combines the 6.2L LT2 Small Block V8 with a 1.9 kWh battery pack which is located between the seats. This means that the E-Ray produces a combined 655 horsepower.
Thanks to all that power and instant grunt of all the 595 LB-FT of torque thanks to the electric motors means that the ‘Vette E-Ray can propel to 62mph from a standstill 2.5-seconds. What’s more stunning is the fact that the E-Ray can complete the quarter mile in just 10.2 seconds.
All the power is sent to all four wheels - yes purists, this ‘Vette does away with rear wheel drive, though the all wheel drive setup is rear-biased. It has six driver-selectable modes: Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, My Mode and Z-Mode but that’s not all as the E-Ray also has a Stealth mode up its sleeve.
As the name suggests, the Stealth Mode enables the E-Ray to have all-wheel drive at startup and quietly exit your home without disturbing the neighbors at a maximum speed of 45 mph. The Stealth mode is time based and after some time the V8 motor is back in full swing.
The infotainment system has a very cool E-Ray Performance App which has three display layouts: Gauges, Dyno and Data. The function of gauges is very easily understandable with it showing the car’s power output with Dyno and Data being the cooler of the lot. Dyno shows graphs of power/torque across selectable time intervals while Data showcases electrical system performance and efficiency.
A lot of work and effort has been put on the E-Ray’s ride quality with Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 available with three distinct suspension settings. The car has a 3.6 inches wider overall than Stingray and low stance. Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tires are available as standard with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires also on offer with the performance package.
“In 1953, the enthusiastic reaction to the Chevrolet Corvette concept kicked off seven decades of passion, performance and American ingenuity,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors president. “E-Ray, as the first electrified, all-wheel-drive Corvette, takes it a step further and expands the promise of what Corvette can deliver.”
“The Middle East is renowned globally for its appreciation of fast, powerful, beautiful sports cars and the launch of the E-Ray will take this passion stratospheric,” said Ronald Balit, Communications Director GM Africa & Middle East. “Every Corvette has surpassed the one before it and the E-Ray is no exception, bringing breakthrough electrified technology and revolutionary performance to roads in the Middle East.”
