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For 70 years, the Chevrolet Corvette has been known as America’s sports car. The long-hooded Vette was something every red-blooded American, male or female, dreamed of owning. For example, legendary author Joan Didion loved Corvettes and owned multiple models throughout his life.
A big part of that story is the heart of the Corvette: its powerful V8 engine and the roar of its big, rugged tailpipes. Don’t even think about suggesting that Chevrolet reduce the volume coming out of its eight cylinders.
That said, Corvette is stepping into the future with the electrified E-Ray. Yahoo Finance was invited to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where the Corvette was assembled, and had the exclusive opportunity to see his first E-Ray coming off the assembly line.
What is E-Ray?
The E-Ray is the first Corvette with all-wheel drive, with the front wheels driven by electric motors. The hybrid setup features a combination of this electric motor and a V8 engine mounted at the rear of the vehicle, giving the car over 650 horsepower and the fastest zero-to-sixty time of 2.5 seconds. “Vette”.
The E-Ray’s all-wheel drive system means it’s a Corvette suitable for all seasons, including winter. Corvette engineers tested the car in the mountains of Colorado, and the E-Ray delivered power even in snowy conditions.
The 1.9 kilowatt-hour battery used by the E-Ray is small, but has the ability to discharge more energy and recharge much faster than a typical hybrid. Also, the battery can give the car a range of about 3-4 miles, making it suitable for driving the E-Ray around town and back on very short trips. E-Ray is not intended for long-distance electric driving. This is a car meant for performance, with the motor filling gaps in low-torque situations, improving handling at the limit, and, as mentioned, giving the car the ability to drive year-round.
at the factory
GM’s assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, only produces one Corvette. GM’s halo sports cars have been produced here since 1981, from the fourth generation Corvette (known as the “C4”) to the current generation Corvette, his C8.
And this is where the first-ever E-Ray rolls off the production line.
Thousands of people move parts and partially assembled structures together with the help of robots and roof-mounted mechanical racks. It leads to a “marriage” of key components that results in a fully assembled Corvette, whether it’s the base Stingray, his race-inspired Z06, or his new E-Ray .
“Corvettes are good at rear-wheel drive. We’ve always done that. All the tooling in the factory is set up so that every driveline component, everything, is assembled perfectly on the rear wheels.” General Manager Andrew Keltner said. Assembling future production leader (practically the person in charge), during our interview he was standing behind the first E-Ray taken off the line. VIN number 1. This all-black model sold for more than $1 million at a charity auction.
But manufacturing E-Ray and retooling the factory wasn’t so easy. “We actually had to change the manufacturing process so that we could cover both the front and the rear. The front driveline with the electric motor is separate from the rear driveline with the V8 engine. It has a rear driveline,” he said. “So it’s a real challenge for us to set that up.”
Part of that challenge includes introducing several spots within the line where the E-Ray, running on the same line as other non-electric vehicles, will have an electric motor on the front axle. The battery is then added to the car’s central tunnel, which separates the driver and passengers in the cockpit. Keltner said the internal chassis built for the C8 was designed with electrification in mind, as his “dream” for the C8 always included his E-Ray.
“The packaging space that the product engineers provided was there,” Keltner said, alluding to the tunnel used to bisect the cabin and create space for the battery. “Just as product engineering became available, we drilled holes in the line assembling the tools to load the 300-volt battery into the car. Considered: It had electric all-wheel drive. [drivetrain]. ”
Does a dream of electricity mean a harsh reality on the road?
The E-Ray looks just like a regular Corvette, except it has a high-performance Z06 Corvette wide body kit (which is a very good thing). There’s his E-Ray badge on the side of the car, but other than that the car doesn’t advertise any special drivetrain. Everything inside the cabin looks like a jet fighter cockpit (just like in a regular C8), but Chevrolet offers special virtual gauges to visualize power usage and the Hybrid Vette’s drive modes (Hybrid modes, E-save mode to conserve power) and aggressive, all-out driving modes such as Power and Sport and Track, to name a few).
I’ve driven a regular Corvette C8, which is a great sports car, but the E-Ray feels like it’s running on rails. I feel planted and in control.
The car has a software feature that provides the best traction with the all-wheel drive system, allowing the outside wheels to spin more on tight turns, giving the car immense grip and instant boost when you need it. I’ll give it.
When combined with the 6.2-liter V8, it delivers power like a rocket.
As Car and Driver points out, 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds is no joke. As the Corvette launches off the line, it throws his head back without giving him time to catch his breath.
The 1.9 kilowatt-hour battery, located between the driver and passenger seats in the center tunnel, is a high-power, high-discharge, high-recharge type battery that can provide a large amount of power to the electric motor, which then You can charge yourself very much. Use the front brakes to move quickly.
It’s quite a feat of engineering and supply chain expertise for GM and Chevrolet to be able to offer this car for a starting price of $105,000 (about $115,000 as tested).
What does the future (and competition) hold for Corvettes?
But the Corvette E-Ray isn’t the only hybrid super sports car. McLaren Altura is one of them, and is one of the world’s leading models. But while the Artura and 296 are great, these two of his cars cost twice as much as his E-Ray. The only reasonably close competitor is the Acura NSX Hybrid, but Acura discontinued production of the NSX last year.
Upcoming cars like the Porsche 911 Hybrid and Mercedes SL 63 E Performance promise even more competition. However, E-Ray has many advantages. One of its features is an all-wheel drive system that other competitors don’t have. There is also a passionate fan base that cherishes the 70-year history.
Case in point: Every Corvette that rolls off the assembly line in Bowling Green already has a voice in it. GM said it has a steady stream of customer orders it needs to fill, including the standard C8 Stingray, high-revving Z06 and futuristic E-Ray.
“The reason people really love this car and want to drive this car is because it represents what we love about driving: speed and performance,” said Brian Gable, curator of the Corvette Museum. I think it’s because there are.” It is just a short drive from the assembly plant.
It will be interesting to see what the next 70 years of Corvette have in store.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.you can follow him twitter And even more Instagram.
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