Chevrolet Reveals 655-HP Corvette E-Ray Performance Hybrid

Speaker 1: The Chevrolet Corvette. America's supercar turned 70 this week with this Septi engine area and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, it's only getting faster. And finally, stepping into the electric age, meet the newly debut 2024 Chevrolet Corvette ere both the first hybrid and the first all-wheel driven model in the nameplates history. And with 655 horsepower and acclaim to a 2.5 second zero to 60 sprint, it's also the quickest serious production vet. Yet Speaker 1: [00:00:30] The e ray name is a play on stingray, which makes sense as the new kid starts with the same 6.2 liter LT two V8 as the standard C8 Corvette Stingray that's been stalking the streets since its 2020. Debut the combustion motor since 495 horsepower and 470 pound feet of torque to the rear wheels by an eight speed dual clutch transactional, no surprises here. Now putting the electrified e and e ray is the addition of a 160 [00:01:00] horsepower electric motor on the front axle, twisting the front wheels to the tune of 125 pound fee of additional torque. Current is drawn from a high voltage lithium ion battery pack tucked into the transmission tunnel between the coop or the convertible seats. Now since the vet switched to a midn configuration for the CA eight generation, that's free real estate. Now, the e ray's not a plug-in hybrid if a self-contained hybrid that charges solely via regenerative braking during deceleration or coasting. Speaker 1: The addition of electrification enables a new stealth [00:01:30] mode, which uses only the front electric motor for near silent operation. In this mode, the E-rate also technically becomes the first ever front wheel drive Corvette, but only up to around 45 miles per hour exceed that speed, dip too deeply into the throttle or deplete the battery pack's limited range, and the V8 automatically kicks over the arrays batteries only packing 1.9 kilowatt hours of capacity, just slightly more than a Prius's 1.2 kilowatt hour pack. So we're talking just a couple of miles at best of stealth mode, [00:02:00] which is mostly there to slip in and out of your neighborhood without waking the block. No, the true benefit here is electric assist rather than electric range working in concert. The e ray's electric all-wheel drive system outputs a combined 655 horsepower and sprints from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds. That's 0.4 seconds faster than the standard stingray and 0.1 seconds quicker than the race spread. Z oh six making this the quickest production Corvette yet, keep your foot [00:02:30] in it and the e ray will complete the quarter mile in just 10.5 seconds. Sport programming in a charge plus regeneration mode should help optimize electric assist and regenerative performance during extended track lapping sessions. But of course, the lighter Z oh six is probably still the most finely honed tool for track use. That said, the e ray boasts a number of other advantages for the road. Speaker 1: The electric all-wheel drive system promises, improvements, detraction stability in low [00:03:00] grip situations, potentially making this an all season sport car that's better equipped to deal with rain or snow or ice than its rear driven predecessors. Electric all-wheel drive should also enable the Corvette's active fuel management cylinder deactivation tech to more liberally take advantage of the V8 four cylinder mode when you're cruising or coasting on the highway, yielding improvements to fuel economy there as well. Speaker 1: Now you'll notice that the e array is much wider than the standard stingray 3.6 [00:03:30] inches wider. In fact, sharing its wide body proportions and panels with the zero six tucked into those flared arches are staggered. 20 inch front and 21 inch rear wheels with a unique e ray five spoke design. Michelin pilot sport. All season tires are standard sort of playing into that sports car for all season sort of theme, but upgraded pilot sport fors. Tires are also available as part of a Zer performance package boosting the e ray's lateral grip to around 1.1 g Speaker 1: [00:04:00] Chevy's decided to make the brim carbon ceramic brake standard equipment partially because it's aflex, but also because you'll be using so much regen that they don't really want steel brakes to corrode. Magnetic rack control is also standard equipment for the performance hybrid. Now inside you'll notice new screens on the infotainment that allow different layouts for monitoring the power and efficiency of the electric motor and the v8. The A array will also be offered with a full roster of Corvette driver assistance tech, things like laying Keep Assist forward collision alert and automatic emergency braking [00:04:30] check. In the spec sheet, I noticed that the array's cargo volume of 12.5 cubic feet is virtually unchanged from the Stingray 12.6 cube. So it looks like stuffing a whole extra motor under the hood doesn't significantly compromise the shrunk. That means the Corvette Stingray Ere is still one of the most practical sports cars you can buy. The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette ERE arrives later this year, starting at 104,295 bucks for the one LZ coop, or [00:05:00] 111,295 for the one LV convertible before destination charges and inevitable dealr markups. There's no getting around it. That's a lot of money. But the six Figure Array is still just a touchless expensive than a full-blown Z oh six. And if you consider this a supercar and compare it against other mid engine exotic performance vehicles like the McLaren Arturo or the Ferrari 2 96, well it's kind of a steal. Speaker 1: Get a good long [00:05:30] look at the 2024 ere over@cars.cnet.com where you can also find driving impressions for the standard Stingray and that hardcore Z oh six.