Rumors of a Corvette hybrid have been on our radar for a while now, dating back to the December 2015 trademark filings of Corvette E-Ray. And now, brand new spy shots obtained by GM Authority show what is believed to be the upcoming C8 Corvette E-Ray undergoing testing.
The tell-tale sign that we’re looking at a C8 Corvette Hybrid is the orange charging harness protruding from beneath the front cargo cover. Other than those cables, the exterior does not seem to contain any other visible differences from a 2020 Corvette with the optional Z51 performance package.
The Corvette E-Ray is expected to be analogous to the current Stingray model, but with a hybrid powertrain consisting of an electric drive unit placed in the front cargo area plus four 1.94 kWh batteries located in the middle of the car. Peak output of the hybrid system is expected to be around 85 kW (115 horsepower) and 111 pound-feet of torque, with some rumors pointing to the electric motor being able to spin to 16,000 RPM.
The hybrid system will be mated to the atmospheric 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine good for 490 horsepower that powers the 2020 Corvette Stingray today. As such, total system power is expected to be in the vicinity of 600 horsepower, with a focus on improving performance rather than on efficiency.
The hybrid Corvette E-Ray is expected to launch either in late 2020 or early in the 2021 calendar year. It’s expected to be available as a Coupe (with the removable roof panel) or as a hard-top convertible.
But that’s not all: some time after, GM is expected to release the Corvette Zora – a range-topping variant of the C8 Corvette that delivers an ultra-high-performance drivetrain with a twin-turbo 5.5L V8 DOHC engine and all-wheel-drive. Total output for that model is expected to surpass the 1,000 horsepower mark.
Update: Chris Bonelli from GM Communications has reached out with the following statement:
“The snowy car in your pictures is actually a very early test mule for the 2020 Stingray. The orange cable sticking out of the front hood is simply for ease of access to the 12V battery. We used this for a lot of testing that required running accessories, so this was an easy way to keep the battery charged when doing so without running the engine all the time.”
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Comments
E-Ray with Supercruise is my dream car for race tracks. Saving planet while kicking ars.
So it would be a full size slot car toy? No thanks on watching that race
No, you use supercruise to get to work; then you drive it yourself on the track.
Huh?
Because you can’t drive on either the roads and tracks, so a robot must do it for you?
Someone at GM can have a lot of fun with the automotive media just by hanging a cable out of the frunk.
You seem sore.
We’re you an ex GMA employee who got canned and are now back for revenge in the comments?
What the hell are you talking about @Blackhat?
Ill pass. No manual trans and a hybrid or electric. Screw that. That is not a corvette.I think i will keep my c5 manual, DEI cammed, full exhaust , aluminum flywheel.
If you ever experience full electric acceleration you may change your mind.
That’s a standard 12V plug, wasn’t this cleared up a while ago. Didn’t they say they are safety on early prototypes for an emergency kill switch. I wouldn’t think a Hybrid vette is coming this fast
All that was “cleared up” a while ago was that engineers used the wires as easy access ports for diagnostics equipment. However, it did not disqualify the wires from also being charge wires.
More noteworthy is the fact that this particular unit also sounded different than every other C8 Stingray we’ve ever seen. So add that to the mix.
Oh ok gotcha ya. I read that article here and thought was the same thing. I read a story saying the photographers said it sounded like a v6 I don’t know about that. Maybe this is a test mule for the DOHC engine
Hey Alex (or anyone else with knowledge on the subject), can you clear something up for me?
From what I’ve gathered from earlier reporting, the C8 lineup was supposedly (all rumors, obviously) going to look along the lines of:
Base: 490 hp 6.2 LT2 V8
Z06: 650-700hp 5.5 DOHC twin-turbo V8
ZR1: 900+hp 5.5 DOHC twin-turbo V8 hybrid with AWD
Where does this LT2 hybrid C8 fit into this? Wouldn’t 600ish hp and AWD put it too close to the Z06? Or am I totally off base with these.
Better yet, anyone else see the Elkhart Lake behind it with high wing?
You folks ever heard of a block heater??? Where its cold they have those things called plugs on your car so you can plug it in!! Cant get much more common sense than that😂😂😂
Ahhh ya. They had a block heater in the middle of the summer too, right? Common sense much?
Don’t be fooled by the naysayers or the obvious GM comment to muddy the waters. There is no reason For them to be running a Stingray prototype in full camoe at this point with a shut off switch in the cabin. Zero reason.
Like it not, this is the E-Ray – whether it ends up being called that is another question.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra must be a Democrat because she has been caught telling another LIE; Barra said poor sales ended hybrid development yet this story suggest that a hybrid variant of the new C8 Corvette is being developed. What Mary Barra doesn’t understand is that the Chevy Volt and Cadillac ELR failed because the electric motor did not provide adequate performance, if the Volt or ELR had a 300-400 hp electric motor and a battery capable of providing 200 mile range, GM would still be building both the Volt and ELR.
No matter what the specs are. GM would still be losing money on everyone sold. The tech is better than what Toyota has but it’s obvious that it’s costing GM more to make.
What does dem or rep have to do with anything…
Some people just like to troll. These days what better way to do that than involve politics?
I know this isn’t the E-Ray but I cannot wait to see what Chevrolet has in store for all of us with future C8 Variants.
Well, we know how oldies forget to plug-in their hearing aids at night, so the senior hybrid Vette buyers will have the gas engine to eliminate range anxiety……😉
Can’t say that I’m surprised. I guess GM has changed direction again.
Per Ms. Barra late last year:
“At an auto industry conference held by Barclays in New York on Nov. 21, Barra said GM is pushing ahead with a plan to sell 20 electric vehicles by 2023 and doesn’t want to build hybrids such as Toyota Motor Co.’s Prius model, which pioneered the category more than 20 years ago in Japan.
“Customers aren’t interested in hybrids,” Barra said.”
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/gm-ceo-mary-barra-charges-ahead-electric-cars-shuns-hybrids
Why the camo? Everyone on the planet knows what it looks like.
I guess Home Depot, or, Dollar General had a sale on tacky camouflage wrap.😂
That electric plug is not like any Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment plugs on the market.
It looks like a 12V system plug that would be used to charge the 12V battery or jump start the car.
I think you guys are way off on this one. The E-Ray will come, but not before 2022. Battery and electric drive component prices dictate the release schedule.