The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray marks a departure for the legendary sports car name in more ways than one. It’s got a V8, yes, but it’s got electric support this time. And, it has electrified four-wheel drive, too.
The new Corvette E-Ray comes exactly 70 years after the Corvette made its debut at Motorama in New York City. The new one is the first-ever electrified Corvette with all-wheel-drive and packs a powerful 6.2-litre LT2 Small Block V8.
Built to deliver a near immediate feeling of thrust from low-end torque, the core Corvette driving experience has been retained. The V8 puts out 502 horsepower with 637 Nm of torque sent to the rear axle. It is complemented by an electric motor that channels an additional 120 kW (163 hp) and 170 Nm of torque through the front wheels. The motor draws power from a 1.9-kWh battery pack that is located between the seats. In total, the Corvette E-Ray produces a combined 665 hp from both the electric motor and the V8 engine. Those figures translate to the E-Ray being the quickest production Corvette in history. It clocks a 2.5-second 0-96 km/h time before breezing through the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
The all-new Corvette E-Ray gets some cool features and technologies. These include “Stealth Mode”, an electric drive mode for the street for up to 70 km/h, a lightweight 12-volt lithium-ion battery for engine stop/start functionality, Active Fuel Management with four-cylinder operation, standard Brembo Carbon Ceramic brakes, standard Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 with three distinct suspension settings, staggered 20- and 21-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tyres, and a slew of driver assistance technologies—shared with all 2024 Corvette models—including Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Automatic Emergency Braking.
Mark Reuss, President of General Motors, said, “In 1953, the enthusiastic reaction to the Chevrolet Corvette concept kicked off seven decades of passion, performance and American ingenuity. E-Ray, as the first electrified, all-wheel-drive Corvette, takes it a step further and expands the promise of what Corvette can deliver.”
