A 1.9 kWh lithium-ion battery is packed inside the car’s central tunnel, and additional cooling has been added to manage the battery temperature. There’s also new software to align all components.
The hybrid adds 160 horsepower for a total system power output of 645 horsepower, nearly identical to the amount produced by the thunderous ZO6 engine. What’s more, the aero-oriented corporate-inspired car lends itself more clearly to its wide profile, the previously optional carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and the tires are epically chunky: 275/30ZR-20s up front, 345/25ZR-21s out back. (Specially developed all-season Michelin Pilot Sports are available.)
Naughty design
We’re not sure the images of the car quite equal the ambition being exercised elsewhere. The Corvette’s design trajectory since its 1953 launch is a testament to American automobile design in general, with the C2 Sting Ray from the 1960s and C4 iterations from the 1980s scoring relatively high culturally. The latest car is an incoherent riot of competing corners and edges, undeniably exciting and a crowd-pleaser with the reaction it generates while driving WIRED. But there is still no oil painting.
Courtesy of Corvette
She’s unrepentantly expressive inside, too. It’s easy to get in and out, the doors open wide, and the seats are plush to the touch and generously padded compared to its simpler rivals. The steering wheel is one of those trendy square items, and its columns are oddly low. But the driving position is good, and the forward view is supported by fairly thin pillars. The rearview camera mirror helps alleviate anxiety, which is usually difficult in a mid-engined car.
Multiple configurable instrument dials are located directly forward, and there’s a clear head-up display, and an angled touchscreen takes over the infotainment system. Then there’s that swooping central tunnel, the front edge of which houses the switchgear that operates the climate control and various other functions. Fearing a completely convenient disaster, we are surprised to discover that everything actually works out well.
Electric Ghost
Given that the Corvette’s V-8 engine is a token, the E-Ray’s main hybrid trick is its “stealth” mode, which does what it says: enables the car to emerge from the street under a near-silent electric propulsion system. Its range in this mode is barely a few miles, but still, it’s briefly a front-wheel-drive electric Corvette. What a novelty.
Courtesy of Corvette
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