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A 1.9 kWh lithium-ion battery has been housed in the car’s already beefy center tunnel, and additional cooling has been added to manage battery temperature. There is also new software to harmonize all components.
The hybrid produces an additional 160 hp, bringing the total system output to 645 hp, which is nearly identical to the performance of the thundering ZO6. Additionally, the significantly more aerodynamic, competition-inspired car also gives it its wide-body look, the previously optional carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and the tires are epically thick: 275/30ZR-20 at the front, 345/25ZR-21 at the rear. (Specially designed all-season Michelin Pilot Sports are available.)
Rebellious design
However, we’re not sure whether the look of the car quite matches the ambition pursued elsewhere. The Corvette’s design history since its introduction in 1953 is instructive for American automotive design as a whole, with the ’60s C2 Sting Ray and the ’80s C4 iterations being relative cultural highlights. The latest car is a disjointed riot of competing angles and edges, undeniably dramatic and a crowd pleaser judging by the reaction it elicits during WIRED’s drive. But still no oil painting.
Courtesy of Corvette
Inside, too, it’s unrepentantly expressive. Getting in and out is easy, the doors open wide, the seats feel more luxurious and have plenty of padding compared to more minimalist rivals. The steering wheel is one of those fashionable square elements with bars that slope strangely downwards. But the driving position is good, forward visibility is made easier by fairly slim A-pillars. A rearview mirror with a camera helps alleviate the fear of reversing, which is usually a delicate matter in a mid-engine car.
Multi-configurable instrument dials are right in front, there is a razor-sharp head-up display and an angled touchscreen controls the infotainment. Then there is the curved center tunnel, on the front edge of which is the switchgear that operates the air conditioning and various other functions. Fearing a total ergonomic catastrophe, you are surprised to find that everything works well in practice.
Electric stealth
Given that the Corvette’s V-8 is totemic, the E-Ray’s main hybrid party trick is its “Stealth” mode, which does exactly what it says on the tin: It allows the car to leave the road with near-silent, all-electric propulsion. The range is barely a few miles in this mode, but for a short time this is still a front-wheel drive electric Corvette. What a novelty.
Courtesy of Corvette
