With the addition of hybrid propulsion and an all-wheel drivetrain, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray has thrown a wrench into what the Chevy Corvette has traditionally been. Regardless of the controversy this paradigm shift brings, it’s hard to deny how impressive the technology behind the C8 E-Ray is, including its 1.9 kWh battery pack. To help articulate how forward-thinking the hybrid Vette is, executive chief engineer Tadge Juechter recently provided some insight into the battery’s characteristics.
Speaking to SAE International in a recent interview, Juechter pointed out three distinctive C8 Corvette E-Ray charging features, including coast regen, brake-apply regen, and through-the-road charging. In regards to coast regen, every time the driver lifts off the throttle, the batteries recover a small amount of energy. According to Juechter, this is not one-pedal driving as seen in other EVs, but rather more similar to that of an ICE’s compression braking.
Next up is the brake-apply regen. When the driver begins to apply the brake, progressive regen provides the expected deceleration. Similar to that of most other electric vehicles, as more braking is applied, friction brakes add more stopping power. The C8 E-Ray adds an electric brake booster to create a seamless transition regardless of braking degree.
Finally, under certain circumstances, the Corvette E-Ray will command more output than the driver initiates with the throttle. The electric motor then switches to generator and regen mode to provide the driver an intuitive feel and recharge the battery while the vehicle is in motion.
These three techniques allow the Corvette E-Ray’s battery pack to be quickly recharged. In addition, the Charge+ mode applies aggressive regen to charge the battery from close to empty to full in about 2 to 3 miles. In normal driving situations, Juechter added that it’s actually difficult to fully drain the battery.
As a reminder, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray was officially unveiled earlier this week. Slotting in between the entry-level C8 Stingray and track-focused C8 Z06 variants, the E-Ray combines the naturally aspirated 6.2L LT2 V8 engine, rated at 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, with a front-mounted electric motor that develops 160 horsepower and 125 pound-feet. This raises total output to 655 horsepower. A revised dual-clutch, eight-speed automatic transmission (RPO code MLH) serves as the only transmission option.
The 2024 Corvette E-Ray will go on sale in late 2023, and will be built at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky, alongside the Stingray and Z06 models. Both a Coupe and Convertible body style will be on offer, with a starting MSRP of $104,295 for a Coupe in 1LZ configuration.
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Comments
Well duh!!!!! The battery in my battery powered leaf blower is bigger than the E rays 🙂 LOL. 1.9 KWH is tiny.
Kwh is not ah. Unless your 24v leaf blower has like 80ah battery….
The electric front engine will take a huge amount of wear and tear off of the ice and dual clutch transmission on take off when the hardest wear come from. That’s the facts Jack!
And this is why the ERay will likely not post impressive fuel economy numbers. To be continuously recharging while cruising, especially while coasting will really reduce the highway numbers, though the city numbers should be nicer.
I understand the performance need to keep the battery most the way charged.
WHAT NO FLUX CAPACITOR?
“Through the road charging….”
The only place u can do that is on gov Witmer’s test bed street track, hahaha.
I guess Vette buyers like paying for things they will never ever use….
Mikey likes it. a four season Vette.
I’m skeptical, but let’s assume it does recharge quickly…it sounds like this battery is going to be going through a lot of cycles…what I think would be much more interesting to hear is how many cycles until the battery hits 80%, 60%, etc. capacity, and ultimately its projected life and replacement cost.
Also, what is “normal”? It says: “In normal driving situations, Juechter added that it’s actually difficult to fully drain the battery.” If I had one, I’d be accelerating faster that what I think most ppl would call normal…it would piss me off to pay Z06 money for a Stingray experience because my battery is low.
As a follow-up to my own post…everyone knows that engines & transmissions are big dollar items if they go bad, but this car is adding 2 additional high cost future maintenance items…the carbon ceramic brakes and the battery pack. This might be the most well-engineered machine ever, but potential customers need to have some type of understanding of what they’re signing up for…esp. when approaching a used Ferrari price point.
I agree. What happens 10 years from now if GM pulls a “Ford” ( the Focus EV’s) by discontinuing the batteries. Will the car run without the batteries and just be a regular Stingray (minus no all wheel drive)? What does this do to future resell? I love the performance numbers on the E-ray, but many folks over-look the cost of the maintenance. Since the E-ray runs the wide-body kit, does it also run the same 345 rear tires? Doing a couple track days a year, the price of the ceramic brakes and tires alone could get costly. Also, being the first year of the E-ray, I personally would want to wait until all the AWD, battery, etc kinks are worked out. I waited with my 22′ Stingray and avoided the 2020 gremlins of the valve issues, frunk, brakes, etc. The 2022 Stingray has been great… no regrets!
The battery will last the lifetime of the car.
Sorry Mario the only way I see that happening is if it is a triple size battery and they are only using less than half of it.
This battery undergoes an incredible number of charge/discharge cycles. The Toyota Prius (non plugin models) have the same issue:
New battery every 30,000 miles.
I have some new ideas for electric cars. Can anyone help me talk to Tadge? Tesla is interested in my designs. Patrick Waldron