GM reveals the C8 E-Ray next week the 17th on 70th year birthday of Corvette

teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Keep watch for the live reveal 1/17/25

Chevy stated the 2024 Corvette E-Ray will be introducing the newest C8 Corvette model on January 17th, 2023
If that date sounds familiar, it’s because 70 years ago on January 17, 1953,
the Chevrolet Corvette made its public debut at the GM Motorama show held at the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.


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teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
  1. 655 HP (combined);
  2. Standard LT2 engine, e.g., 495 HP/470 TQ;
  3. One (1) electric motor producing 160 HP & 125 TQ; 1.9 kWH battery pack.
  4. Torque is combined @ 595 (though as TQ is not additive with combined ICE and EV power, why in the GM entire press release there is not a total TQ amount;
  5. 0-60 in 2.5 seconds (faster than every Z06);
  6. 1/4 mile in 10.5 seconds (faster than even the Z07);
  7. Max lateral G is 1.12 G (same as standard Z06)
  8. CCB’s are standard (identically sized to Z06 CCB’s);
  9. Mag ride is standard;
  10. AWD is standard;
  11. Regular hybrid; not a PHEV but has stealth street driving mode up to 45 MPH.
  12. Including DFC, cost is $104,295 MSRP; 2LT HTC starts at $119,095.
  13. Initial customer delivery in “2023”;
  14. Standard 20/21”wheels (four aluminum & 3 optional carbon fiber options);
  15. Standard tires are all seasons; performance option comes with PS4’s;
  16. Custom IP gauges display EV status/use information;
  17. “Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Following Distance Indicator” (for all 2024 Corvettes);
  18. Fourteen colors for the E-ray, e.g., including Ceramic Matrix Gray’s resurrection.
  19. Dry weight = 299 pounds more than the Z06; e.g., 3,774 # dry weight;
  20. Turning circle is 36’ 4”.
  21. All exterior dimensions identical to Z06;
  22. Wonderful (imo) new “evil-eye” E-Ray badge.
  23. Frunk storage space.
  24. Cylinder deactivation 8 to 4 at times & Start-Stop;
  25. E-Ray exclusive of blue, dual front-to-rear racing stripes;
  26. Track usage not just permitted but “performance tested and maximized.”

Quote-able quotes from the official GM complete E-Ray press release, with the complete PR at the link:


LINK upcoming within a minute please but here are clips right now to supplement the above:
  • NEW YORK – Exactly 70 years after the Corvette debuted at Motorama in New York City, Chevrolet has returned to introduce the first-ever electrified Corvette with all-wheel-drive and a powerful 6.2L LT2 Small Block V-8, the 2024 E-Ray
  • “Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on backroads and tracks, and E-Ray nails it,” said Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer, Corvette. “The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure.”
  • E-Ray’s intelligent eAWD system is constantly learning the road surface, seamlessly adapting to meet traction conditions and driver needs. During spirited driving and in low traction environments, E-Ray’s eAWD system applies additional power to the front wheels, helping to enhance vehicle stability.
  • There is no need for plug-in charging for the E-Ray’s battery system. The battery is charged mostly via regenerative energy from coasting and braking, as well as during normal driving.
  • E-Ray’s standard Active Fuel Management system uses the electric motor to extend 4-cylinder operation in various driving scenarios.
  • Stealth Mode and tracking the E-Ray: The Corvette E-Ray’s two driver-initiated electric modes enable the car to travel under electric propulsion in certain conditions. The electric motor also optimizes track performance. Stealth Mode enables all-electric driving, when selected at start-up, for a period of time before the engine turns on for normal driving. It is designed for quietly exiting a neighborhood, with a maximum speed of 45 mph. The engine automatically turns on if the vehicle’s speed exceeds the limit, additional torque is requested by the driver, or the E-Ray’s battery pack is depleted. When it comes to leveraging the electrified propulsion system for enhanced track performance, E-Ray's eAWD control system applies torque to the front axle as needed. The Charge+ feature can be used to maximize battery state of charge for extended lapping.
  • E-Ray’s intelligent eAWD system is constantly learning the road surface, seamlessly adapting to meet traction conditions and driver needs. During spirited driving and in low traction environments, E-Ray’s eAWD system applies additional power to the front wheels, helping to enhance vehicle stability.
  • Visceral sound experience that embodies the car’s dominating presence. The electric front motor works in harmony with the LT2 engine to create an invigorating sound.
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
Thanks for publishing all that Jon - didn't go through the video fully 'coz I'll get serious withdrawal symptoms afterwards wanting one so bad. It begs the question "why bother with the Z06 version"........wonder what the waiting list for the E-Ray will end-up looking looking like!
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
You have to wonder how all those who bought the Z06 or put down big deposit bucks and still waiting for theirs to see GM screwed them
125 ft/lbs more torque than Z06, a simple LT2 where parts and repairs will be cheaper than the limited LT6 FPC and even finding anyone
who has experience working on LT6

Imagine pulling through corners with AWD as the Z06 was claimed to be a track car design, the E Ray will outperform the Z06

I would bet where GM gave excuses why less than 300 Z06s were made for 2022 and then start building much more volumes of E Ray just because of it feeds their narrative of front wheel electric

I suspect most do not know the E Ray is not for long distance electric only, it only has a 1.7 KW battery

The lack of concern related to the E-Ray's EV range is made evident as soon as you look at the battery pack inside the car, which measures in at only 1.9 kWh. For comparison, the battery inside the Ferrari SF90 is 7.9 kWh. That battery allows the Ferrari to travel eight miles in pure electric mode, while GM does not provide any such metrics for future customers. That difference is a philosophical one, as Corvette chief engineer Josh Holder explained

“This is not an energy storage device for a range EV,” said Holder. “It's all about, you know, enhancing performance, expanding the performance envelope, delivering it when the car asks for it and being at the ready all the time.”

The hybrid system inside the Corvette E-Ray shares nothing with GM’s broader Ultium program vehicles.

The battery itself is constructed of 80 pouch cells, which contain bespoke battery chemistry for the E-Ray platform. Holder likens the setup to a slow-moving capacitor more than a traditional hybrid battery. The batteries are mounted inside the car’s center tunnel section, as was intended from the outset of the C8 platform.
This helps keep the 100-pound battery in the center of the car, with the weight sitting as low to the ground as possible to cut down on any negative handling impacts. E-Ray buyers won’t plug the car in to charge, as the battery is topped up through driving alone. This can be done in little more than a mile of driving in the Charge+ mode.

The batteries work in tandem with a single electric motor mounted on the front axle. That part is also unique to the Corvette. This marks the first time that all-wheel drive has been brought to the Corvette platform. The motor case is compact and made from magnesium, while aluminum fasteners help keep things svelte. There’s even a miniature dry sump oiling system tucked inside the case.
The motor itself only weighs in at about 80 pounds, which is still enough to shift the weight distribution forward a single percent. The hybrid components all together add some 260 pounds to the car, according to Holder, with GM reporting a dry weight of 3774 pounds. Weight penalty aside, the E-Ray’s electric motor brings 160 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque to the equation. When combined with the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 out back, the Corvette E-Ray is ready with 655 hp and 595 lb-ft of torque.

Thanks to the added grip and torque fill from the front axle, GM says the E-Ray can do 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, before eclipsing the quarter-mile in just 10.5 seconds. That’s a tenth quicker than the all-mighty Z06 through both metrics, making this hybrid the quickest Corvette ever produced.
“I tell people the way it drives and the way it feels around town, it’s like, instead of a 6.2-liter small block, you’ve got an 8.0-liter small block,” executive chief engineer Tadge Juechter said

Take a ride in the Corvette E-Ray, as I did, and the sensation of a powerful naturally aspirated motor is certainly at the forefront. There's torque down low like you'd expect in any Corvette, but much more of it than ever before.

The eAWD system ensures all of that thrust makes its way to the ground and allows for some unique front-end behavior.
"I think the E-Ray will help reinforce and convince not just our customers, but people that will be our customers, that we’re going to do electrification not just to meet a mandate, but actually make the car better," Holder stated
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
In offering select media outlets a first ride opportunity in its 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, General Motors' mission was to ward off anticipated misconceptions regarding this, history's first electrified, hybrid, all-wheel-drive Corvette which also happens to rank as the heaviest car ever to carry the name. So before we ever strapped in, the Chevy team hammered home three major talking points in support of its mission:

• The 2024 Corvette E-Ray is not about fuel economy, or it wouldn't have the Z06's wide bodywork, wheels, and tires.
• The Corvette E-Ray is not about Snowbelt all-weather traction, or the ride height would be higher.
• Every gram of added weight had to pay its way with a commensurate performance benefit.

Stealth Mode

The 2024 Chevy Corvette E-Ray's new Stealth mode, which you engage at startup by buckling your seatbelt, pressing the brake pedal, twisting the drive-mode knob counterclockwise, and then pressing the ignition. This fully electric mode summons unique gauge cluster graphics with a battery-level gauge and power-flow graphics on the infotainment screen.
The mandatory pedestrian-awareness noise is a purposeful electronic thrum that's as challenging to describe as those of most other EVs. In this mode, the E-Ray can maneuver out of a mostly flat subdivision in comparative silence at a pace roughly akin to that of a Toyota Prius (with which it roughly shares a weight-to-power ratio, in pure EV mode).

The gasoline engine fires if you toe the accelerator too deeply, if you exceed 45 mph, or if the battery voltage drops below a level at which the car can guarantee consistent all-wheel-drive performance and dynamics. You might ideally get 3-4 EV miles.

0-100-mph Acceleration

Next, lined up on the drag strip edge of GM's Milford Proving Ground Black Lake, engaged Z Mode (the user-programmable setting, which was set up for max performance) plus launch control, and did a full-throttle launch. The revs climbed to 3,500 rpm, and the car accelerated hard with little or no tire drama in 40-degree, sunny Michigan weather.
Carrying upward of 400 pounds of onboard humanity, the Corvette E-Ray didn't deliver that rail gun feeling of a four-motor AWD EV. After all, peak V-8 torque doesn't arrive until 5,150 rpm (about 27 mph in first gear), but the 125 lb-ft of electric front-wheel torque twisting those 275/30 20-inch front tires is clearly responsible for hurtling the E-Ray to 60 mph ahead of the lighter, more powerful Z06. Multiply that twist by 8.16:1 gearing, and each 10-plus-inch-wide front tire gets about 590 pounds of force.
Our blast to 105 mph took the battery down to about 50 percent. Had the straight been long enough, the electric motor would have kept pulling to 18,500 rpm (150 mph) before disconnecting.

Giant Gymkhana Autocross

Chevy's driver pressed the Charge+ button to prioritize battery charging and dragged the brake pedal for just a few moments to top up the battery before we attacked a high-speed cone-course setup to cover the top right corner of Black Lake. With the driver-assist nannies switched off (along with that Charge+ mode, so we could wring every electron out to demonstrate a hero lap), our companion demonstrated a grin-inducing lap that prioritized modestly drifty chassis slip angles over quickest lap times.
In most corners, applying a dab of brake or lifting the throttle to load the front end and initiate a turn allowed gradual throttle application to step the rear out while the front tires helped pull the car around the corner. If we had time for five or 10 laps, engaging Charge+ mode would have more aggressively charged the battery during every deceleration zone to ensure peak performance exiting every corner.

Drift Circle

Our final stop on the demo drive was a 300-foot painted circle, which the driver managed to negotiate one full lap of, maintaining what felt like a pretty consistent 20-degree chassis slip angle.
There is no "drift mode" per se, just a 125-lb-ft front/470-lb-ft rear torque split to help kick the car sideways, after which rolling onto the throttle gets the front wheels pulling. The result is perceptibly less need to saw at the wheel and feather the throttle than would be required to replicate this performance in a rear-drive Corvette.

Overall Impressions

Having recently spent quite a bit of time in the new Corvette Z06, our shotgun experience in the 2024 Chevy Corvette E-Ray highlighted the dramatic difference in the character of these two models. Sound and vibration seem considerably more exotic/frenetic in a Z06. Still, the roughly 300 extra pounds the E-Ray carries relative to a Z06 is remarkably difficult to perceive, at least when riding shotgun.
The g-forces acting in all directions felt similarly strong. We can promise the E-Ray will be vastly easier to drift than the Z06 especially when fitted with its all-season tires as compared with the Z06's Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZPs.

Bottom line:
There's no reason to panic over this electrification-camel's nose under the tent.
This battery-electric hybrid gear is absolutely worthy of the Corvette name.
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Part of the original C8 Corvette program plan, the new hybrid combines the 6.2-L V8 with a front-mounted traction motor and 1.9-kWh battery pack to create the quickest Corvette ever.

Rather than toasting their sports car’s 70th birthday with polite champagne sips, Chevy yanked the wraps off another edition of the eighth-generation Corvette: the 2024 hybrid E-Ray which combines an electrically-driven front axle with a potent V8 energizing the rear wheels.

Strategically sandwiched between the base Stingray and the Z06 street/track racer, the Corvette E-Ray is offered in both targa coupe and convertible body styles. Deliveries commence later this year at a suggested retail price of $104,295 for the base coupe.

Planned from the C8 engineering program’s onset, E-Ray has a compact 160-hp (119 kW), 125-lb-ft (169 Nm) electric motor located between the front wheels, just beneath its front trunk.
A coupling attached to the motor’s output accommodates wheel speed differences in corners.

Rather than plugging in to charge the battery, the AC motor serves as a generator during deceleration and cruising to perform that function.

The 1.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, providing about 1/7th the energy of the battery in a 2023 Toyota Prius hybrid, resides in the 2.0-cu ft (56-L) cavity serving as the Corvette aluminum space frame’s backbone.
A power inverter is also located within that tunnel.
Electric assistance varies according to which of six drive modes is selected by the driver. Various data details, such as the AC motor’s instantaneous output, are available for display on cockpit instruments.

The standard Stingray’s 6.2-L LT2 V8 hammers E-Ray’s rear wheels with 495 hp (369 kW) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) through a carryover Tremec TR9080 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle.

Armed with 655 combined horsepower (488 kW) and all-wheel-drive traction, the sprint from standing start to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) takes only 2.5 seconds according to Chevrolet, beating the mighty Z06 by 0.1 second while matching that 670-hp (500 kW) Corvette’s 10.5-second quarter-mile time.
This performance distinguishes E-Ray as the quickest Corvette in history. The newfound drive traction compensates for the fact that E-Ray’s 3774-lb (1712-kg) dry weight top’s Z06 mass by 260 lb.(118 kg).

Twisting a center console knob to engage Stealth mode enables virtually silent driving in the E-Ray up to 45 mph (72 km/h) via the electric propulsion motor. Active Fuel Management, which allows 4-cylinder operation of the 6.2-L V8 during highway cruising, carries over to maximize E-Ray’s fuel economy. Final EPA mileage ratings are not yet available.

E-Ray sports the Z06’s aggressive body work, which is 3.6-in. (91.5-mm) wider than Stingray’s fenders to accommodate 10-inch-wide front and 13-inch-wide rear wheels carrying 275/30ZR-20 and 345/35ZR-21 Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tires.
Carbon-ceramic brakes gripped by Brembo monobloc calipers and Magnetic Ride Control (electronically adjustable) dampers are both standard equipment. The only visual distinctions from a Z06 are that E-Ray’s four exhaust outlets move from the centerline to the rear corners of the car plus a new twisted 5-spoke wheel design.

Journalists who’ve enjoyed E-Ray ride-alongs with Corvette engineering staff at GM’s Milford, Mich., proving ground report breathtaking launch thrust on dry surfaces. Breaking the tires loose under acceleration is a challenge unless the pavement is wet.
In sedate driving, E-ray is reportedly calm and collected.

The brake-torque management system which selectively slows one front wheel during hard cornering works so well that full-throttle drifting requires nothing more than confident hands on the steering wheel. Corvette engineers who’ve tested E-Rays in deep snow report that they’re all but unstoppable ─ even on summer tires.

To give E-Ray customers ample opportunity to customize a car to their liking (while running up the sticker price), Chevy offers 14 exterior colors, a special blue stripe package, different exhaust tip coatings, optional carbon fiber wheels with three distinct finishes, and a ground-effects package. E-Ray’s interior trim options include a deep-green treatment for all surfaces (first model year only), seven other interior colors, two carbon-fiber trims, and three different seat designs.

To prove their commitment to electrified Corvettes, Chevy engineers will subsequently introduce a second hybrid called Zora (in honor of long-time chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov) with combined horsepower topping the 1000 hp/746 kW) mark.
Further, speculation is rampant that an all-new, all-electric C9 Corvette will arrive by the turn of the decade.
 
Stingray

Stingray

CCCUK Member
To my mind the difference seems clear. In aggressive track use the E-ray's battery will be quickly depleted and never charge, restricting performance, or all the gubbins will get too hot and the computer will restrict power. Alternatively the added weight and power draw for re-charging will restict longer duration performance compared with a base C8. Meanwhile a Z06 would just keep on going and going. So the Z06 becomes purely what it's supposed to be, a track car, and E-ray is more than capable enough for road use.
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
Stingray said:
To my mind the difference seems clear. In aggressive track use the E-ray's battery will be quickly depleted and never charge, restricting performance, or all the gubbins will get too hot and the computer will restrict power. Alternatively the added weight and power draw for re-charging will restict longer duration performance compared with a base C8. Meanwhile a Z06 would just keep on going and going. So the Z06 becomes purely what it's supposed to be, a track car, and E-ray is more than capable enough for road use.
Click to expand...
A good very good analogy me-thinks. An E-Ray for the occasional 'blast' out there on the street........just long enough to give one a 'taster' perhaps of its performance......adequate perhaps for most owners?
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
In watching the GM video in post #14 above
The electrics have a Freon cooling system to keep the battery cooled, and the electric motor has an oil system with a cooler
I believe the system is designed so when in track mode the front drive is used only in corners and the brakes generate the charging voltage
so you would think this is no different in all vehicles where generator keeps battery charged for long distance drives

GM has been road ad track testing this for some time, so you would think if they sell these later this year and market it for racing that they have design worked out

Will see as starting this weekend at the race this weekend for IMSA at Daytona and following week is the 24 hours race as Caddy and
other nameplates will be racing their hybrid vehicles

In any case, even on the street, almost 600 ft/lbs of torque should make standing starts and U turns interesting
Also, should work well for autocross racing
 
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