Photo: Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
Teased in April 2022 with an electrified front axle, Chevrolet’s first-ever hybrid Corvette was leaked by none other than General Motors at the beginning of December 2022 via the official visualizer. Given this mistake, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that GM didn’t bother camouflaging the prototype you can admire in the featured photo gallery.
Spied with a manufacturer’s plate, this fellow is wider than the Stingray despite sporting the small-block V8 powerplant of the Stingray. It also wears Z06 badges on the rear fenders even though some Z06 elements are missing, including the centrally-mounted quad exhaust. Be that as it may, the side intakes are clearly shared with the Z06 rather than the Stingray.
Pictured on double-spoke wheels featuring seven double spokes and a black finish that contrasts nicely with the Hypersonic Gray Metallic, the convertible-bodied ‘Vette rocks a body-color front end as well as black-painted nacelles. Black carries over to the roof, pillars, and rear spoiler, and this color is also present on the lowermost part of the rear bumper.
Similar to the Stingray and Z06, the gas cap is located on the driver-side rear fender. There’s no sign of a charging port on this vehicle, which confirms that General Motors developed a hybrid powertrain instead of a plug-in hybrid. The biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit spilled the beans on the eighth-gen Corvette’s electrified future since General Motors published the C8 Stingray owner’s manual back in early 2020.
Page 244 of said manual lists fuse number 7 as the pedestrian-friendly alert system, whereas fuse number 12 is tasked with the lithium-ion battery module. The absence of a fuse for the rechargeable energy storage system à la Bolt EV also confirms that it’s a hybrid instead of a PHEV.
The E-Booster system, or whatever Chevrolet is calling the hybrid-assisted front axle, is rumored to ensure all-electric propulsion at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour), translating to quicker acceleration off the line compared to the Stingray. The wider rear tires should also help with that, but under the hood, we don’t expect any significant update for the LT2. As a brief refresher, the 6.2-liter mill develops 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet (630 Nm) as standard or 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) with the performance exhaust system.
Total system output estimates are all over the place. You should expect in the ballpark of 600 ponies. Regardless of how much torque the E-Booster develops, the near-instant torque delivery will make a tremendous difference over the combustion-only sibling. It remains to be seen how much the E-Ray weighs, but even with a few pounds added here and there, it should be a bit more frugal than the Stingray in the urban cycle.
Pictured on double-spoke wheels featuring seven double spokes and a black finish that contrasts nicely with the Hypersonic Gray Metallic, the convertible-bodied ‘Vette rocks a body-color front end as well as black-painted nacelles. Black carries over to the roof, pillars, and rear spoiler, and this color is also present on the lowermost part of the rear bumper.
Similar to the Stingray and Z06, the gas cap is located on the driver-side rear fender. There’s no sign of a charging port on this vehicle, which confirms that General Motors developed a hybrid powertrain instead of a plug-in hybrid. The biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit spilled the beans on the eighth-gen Corvette’s electrified future since General Motors published the C8 Stingray owner’s manual back in early 2020.
Page 244 of said manual lists fuse number 7 as the pedestrian-friendly alert system, whereas fuse number 12 is tasked with the lithium-ion battery module. The absence of a fuse for the rechargeable energy storage system à la Bolt EV also confirms that it’s a hybrid instead of a PHEV.
The E-Booster system, or whatever Chevrolet is calling the hybrid-assisted front axle, is rumored to ensure all-electric propulsion at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour), translating to quicker acceleration off the line compared to the Stingray. The wider rear tires should also help with that, but under the hood, we don’t expect any significant update for the LT2. As a brief refresher, the 6.2-liter mill develops 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet (630 Nm) as standard or 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) with the performance exhaust system.
Total system output estimates are all over the place. You should expect in the ballpark of 600 ponies. Regardless of how much torque the E-Booster develops, the near-instant torque delivery will make a tremendous difference over the combustion-only sibling. It remains to be seen how much the E-Ray weighs, but even with a few pounds added here and there, it should be a bit more frugal than the Stingray in the urban cycle.
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