Most hybrid electric vehicles (EV) are family cars that get you around while sipping as little fuel as possible.
The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, on the other hand, is a hybrid that takes you around corners and along straights as fast as physics and your bravery would allow.
General Motors (GM) unveiled its first electrified Corvette on January 2023. Under its sculpted engine cover lies the 6.2-liter, single-cam, overhead-valve, 16-valve V8 gasoline engine found in the standard Corvette Stingray.
This is complemented in the E-Ray by a 1.9-kWh battery and an electric motor powering the front wheels, making this mid-engined piece of Americana an all-wheel-drive hybrid supercar.
GM said this new Corvette variant has a combined output of 664 PS and 807 Nm of torque, which are coursed through an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. The carmaker claims a 0 to 96 km/h time of just 2.5 seconds, the fastest ever in a Corvette.
This is quite a feat considering the E-Ray coupe is 185 kg heavier than the standard Stingray.
Silent or brutal
The Corvette E-Ray features a variety of driving modes, including a Stealth Mode that allows you to drive solely on electric power at up to 72 km/h.
There’s also a Charge+ mode that keeps the battery charge as high as possible in case you need that instant electric boost for serious driving.
To keep all that power in check, the E-Ray gets the wider bodywork and tires from the super-hot Corvette Z06. That means an added 91.4 mm to accommodate 20-inch, 275-mm tires in front and 21-inch, 345-mm tires out back.
The standard Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension has also been tweaked specifically for the E-Ray, especially since it’s much heavier than the normal Stingray.
Finally, this electrified Vette gets carbon-ceramic brakes all around, with 399-mm rotors and 6-piston calipers up front and 391-mm rotors and 4-piston calipers at the back.
GM has yet to release the fuel consumption figures for the Corvette E-Ray. Although it will likely be better than the Stingray or Z06, it won’t beat the likes of the Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid that we tested.
Prices start at $104,295 or around ₱5.67 million, as of press time. For the latest information and updates on the groundbreaking Corvette E-Ray, check out Corvetteerays.com.
A hybrid Corvette that’s ferociously fast. Who would have thought?