It’s been the stuff of Internet forum chatter for years, and even President Joe Biden has dropped a hint or two, but GM President Mark Ruess on Monday finally confirmed that an electric Chevrolet Corvette is coming.
Ruess made the confirmation to CNBC’s Phil LeBeau during a segment of “Squawk Box,” though he didn’t provide details on timing.
He did however confirm that an electrified Corvette will come first, as soon as next year. It will be based on the current C8 Corvette platform and has been testing on public roads for over a year. One of the prototypes is shown in the teaser video below.
Ruess didn’t state whether the electrified Corvette will be a conventional hybrid or a more advanced plug-in hybrid, though one of the cars engineers used for benchmarking was an Acura NSX. The Acura is a conventional hybrid, albeit with three electric motors working with an internal-combustion engine, in this case a twin-turbocharged V-6.
The hybrid Corvette, which could be called a Corvette E-Ray, is expected to feature a single motor powering the front axle and the current Corvette Stingray’s 6.2-liter V-8 powering the rear axle. Peak output is expected to fall between 600 and 650 hp, and we could even see plug-in capability, which would mean a small electric range will be possible.
As for the electric Corvette, President Biden first mentioned the car during his campaign trail, claiming he’d been told that it was in development, and that it would be capable of 200 mph.
More to come.
Keyword: GM confirms electric Chevy Corvette