Rumor has it General Motors is cooking up a new high-performance C8 Corvette hybrid model, known more popularly as the Corvette E-Ray. Back in December of 2015, GM filed trademark applications for the Corvette E-Ray and E-Ray names, while more recently, spy shots posted in January appear to show a C8 Corvette prototype with a number of orange cables popping out of it. Now, GM Authority has uncovered the function of those cables.
Speaking to sources familiar with the project, GM Authority has learned that the orange cables attached to some C8 Corvette prototypes have a “twist to turn off” feature.
Previously, GM told us that these cables allowed for easy access to the Vette’s 12V battery, which provides a quick way to charge up without running the engine while testing various accessories.
However, we have also heard that the cables are there to provide power to the electric front axle. As such, the orange cables have a “twist” feature to shut the power off in a hurry, if needed.
Meanwhile, the rest of the C8 Corvtte prototype featured here looks identical to a standard mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette with the optional Z51 performance package.
To note, the C8 Corvette hybrid is expected to come with an electric drive unit for the front axle, as well as a quartet of batteries mounted in the middle of the machine. The hybrid system will add 115 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque to the mix, with the 6.2L V8 LT2 gas engine once again making 490 horsepower, bringing total output to roughly 600 ponies.
Looking ahead, the C8 Corvette E-Ray hybrid is expected to launch late in 2020, or possibly early in 2021, and will be offered in both a hardtop coupe and hardtop convertible body style.
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Comments
So it is a kill switch like any race car has on the outside?
Nah just the emergency alert cable the old Vette buyers pull to signal an ambulance to their location and to pull the car to a stop….😁
oh yeah I can see it now it will have a big speaker on the underbody mimicking the sound of a gas engine
You can do that now to your present puny gas car and reproduce the sound of a 6.2 L V8.
If the cables are orange they are not 12V, they are high voltage; therefore, they go to electric drive motors.
OSHA mandates all cabling and wires that carry over 300 VDC to be orange colored as a warning to the possible danger they carry, if mishandled. We had color TVs that carried over 25 kV (25,000 volts!) on the picture tube, and many homes had one with no harm to their users, so we can make HVDC electrics with the same care and no drivers or passengers will be harmed.
I want one!
So do I! But I need a lottery win to pay for it.
The e-Ray sounds like an awesome vehicle. The percentage of power and length of use reminds me of what Porsche has accomplished. Corvette will not be denied! AF