- After several months of anticipations and rumors, Chevrolet debuted the electrified, all-wheel drive Corvette E-Ray Tuesday.
- This latest Corvette claims to be the quickest yet, with 655 horsepower and a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds.
- It’s ever so slightly quicker than the Z06, which makes the 0-60 sprint in 2.6 seconds.
- According to Chevrolet, the E-Ray tackles the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
- The Corvette nameplate celebrates its 70th anniversary today: The first Corvette debuted in New York on January 17, 1953.
It’s finally happened.
The C8 generation continues to redefine the conventions of the “Corvette”, and Chevrolet’s taking it to a whole new level with this new electrified, all-wheel drive E-Ray. You read correctly: America’s sports car now has an electric motor lurking within. But don’t worry too much, diehard fans: It’s still packing Small Block V8 power as well.
So, what exactly are we looking at with the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray? Apart from this car’s nod toward the nameplate’s 70th anniversary (the C1 appeared at General Motors’ “Motorama” on January 17, 1953), the E-Ray looks surprisingly normal for an electrified Corvette. Core to the experience is the Stingray’s 6.2-liter LT2 engine, kicking out 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle. This time around, though, it has a 160-horsepower electric motor on the front axle. When both are fully on-song, you get a combined 655 horsepower, which puts the E-Ray just 15 hp shy of the Z06.
Thanks to the “eAWD” system, Chevrolet says the 2024 Corvette E-Ray is the quickest model yet, clocking in a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds. Beyond that, you should be able to run the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds. At least, that’s the case in ideal conditions, as GM makes clear those times depend on “initial vehicle movement”, i.e. nailing the launch.
What about weight?
Of course, the Achilles’ heel of electrifying any sports car is adding a few hundred pounds of extra weight. The new Corvette E-Ray is no exception, as the coupe weighs in at 3,774 pounds, per Chevrolet’s official specs. That makes it 343 pounds heavier than a Z06 coupe and 408 pounds heavier than the standard Stingray. The 3,856-pound E-Ray convertible’s curb weight tells a similar story.
Still, at least with the electric motor filling in the gas engine’s torque gap off the line, you can still nail a solid sub-3-second 0-60 time (again, in ideal conditions).
You can drive the Corvette E-Ray on electricity alone…but not too far.
When your eyes hit the word “electrified” or “hybrid”, you probably imagine a huge battery yoked to that electric motor to offer some practical driving range. Not so, as the E-Ray packs just a 1.9-kWh battery pack, placed between the seats.
This electrified Corvette does have a “Stealth Mode”, so you technically can drive it on electricity alone. You won’t make it too far before the V8 kicks back in, though, and you can only drive in the EV mode up to 45 mph. The E-Ray does have a regenerative braking system, which will keep the battery topped off along with the engine. The automaker claims this mode, selectable at startup, is designed for quietly exiting a neighborhood, so most of the time you will in fact be on the V8 — for the most part.
As we saw in earlier leaked shots, this electrified Corvette does have two buttons on the center console for auto stop-start and Charge+ features. The latter is for better track performance, as it will maximize the battery’s state-of-charge to ensure you get that full 655 horsepower for an extended period.
Outside of the limited full-electric driving, the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray also packs standard Active Fuel Management. In this case, it uses the electric motor to extend four-cylinder operation as long as possible in some driving scenarios to improve fuel economy. As for what impact that has, we’ll have to wait and see when official EPA specs emerge, and when we can test it out ourselves.
More on the performance front
While the powertrain is clearly the main focus here, the E-Ray also brings a host of performance upgrades over the base Stingray. Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 is standard fare with three suspension settings. You also get staggered 20- and 21-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport all-seasons, or you can go one further with Pilot Sport 4S tires if you spec the optional performance package.
The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is also 3.6 inches wider than the Stingray, and packs standard Brembo carbon ceramic brakes.
All your usual Corvette options are still available here
The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray does, as you’d expect, bring its own unique touches to the table. You have the option for an exclusive Electric Blue body stripe package, as well as unique badging to set it apart from the other C8 models. While the blue interior complements the exterior touches, this car also introduces the green “Artemis Dipped” interior option, which will only be available on the 2024 Corvette range. the E-Ray specifically offers two carbon fiber trim packages, three seat options and seven interior colors in total.
On the outside, this model offers four aluminum wheel options, as well as fourteen color choices. New options for this year include Riptide Blue, Cactus Gray and Cacti, while you can also get black exhaust tips, bright badging (rather than the standard carbon flash) and carbon fiber wheels and ground effects for the E-Ray.
Six drive modes tailor the driving experience to your needs, including Chevrolet’s usual options. You get Tour (normal), Sport, Track and Weather, as well as My Mode and Z-Mode. The E-Ray Performance App on the infotainment system shown above also gives you some insight as to what the electric motor’s actually doing to aid performance, be it for track use or more efficient driving.
How much will the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray cost?
With how Chevrolet designed and positioned this car, the question really boils down to this: E-Ray or Z06? Putting aside both cars’ unobtainium status and stupidly high mark-ups for a moment, the two are remarkably close on MSRP alone. the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray comes in at $104,295 for the 1LZ coupe, compared to $106,695 for the Z06 1LZ coupe.
If you prefer the drop-top option, the E-Ray 1LZ convertible is once again slightly less expensive, at $111,295. The Z06 1LZ convertible costs $114,195 to start.
The electrified, AWD Corvette will go on sale later this year.
