First sight: Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

On January 17, Chevrolet celebrated the 70th anniversary of its storied halo car, the Corvette. Doubtless many glasses of champagne were raised and many slices of birthday cake passed around.

But the most significant event was the introduction of the Corvette E-Ray, the new hybrid variant of the Corvette. That’s right: despite what its name says, the E-Ray is a hybrid, combining a 6.2 litre V8 naturally aspirated internal combustion engine with a 160hp electric motor. The combined horsepower is 655 hp, with all-wheel drive and plenty of torque for those sudden jumps to lightspeed that are occasionally called for with this class of car.

Car Design News got a walkaround at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, where one of the E-Rays alighted for a few days before moving on to other events. It requires a sharp eye to notice any real design departure from other Corvette models. The E-Ray shares the same wide-body format as the Corvette Z-06. Because of the all-wheel drive configuration, the front suspension and track were modified, which necessitated widening the front fascia and flaring the front fenders. Overall, the body is some 3.6 inches wider than the Stingray model. It looks good, though, a bold stance that seems well-planted on the pavement.

The interior remains hyper-focused on the cockpit configuration. No future-focussed interior “lounges” here. Every control and instrument is within fingertip reach of the driver and display screens, along with heads-up display, are programmed to continuously provide drivetrain metrics. Driver assistance features such as Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Automatic Emergency Braking help keep the E-Ray on the road.

The “E” of the E-Ray is built for performance, not range or economy. The overall gas mileage is about the same as the standard Corvette, given that any advantage to the e-power mode, called ‘Stealth Mode’ here, is negated by the extra weight of the motor and batteries, which make the E-Ray the heaviest Corvette ever. The range is negligible, too – about three or four miles. That’s enough to allow you to creep out of the neighborhood without disturbing the neighbors, but not much more. And, at about 45 mph, the V8 roars to life, so that further limits the electric mode.

A hybrid model of the Corvette had been planned all along for the C-8 generation, and the car has been engineered to accept a battery pack in the central tunnel. Still, like all hybrids, it occupies a grey area between the internal combustion era and the electric future. As mentioned, the hybrid Corvette does have the advantage of all-wheel drive and a great deal of torque, providing sure-footed handling in all types of driving conditions. Additionally, the E-Ray’s dual drivetrain permits massive acceleration: 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and a mere 10.5 seconds to cruise through the quarter-mile – the fastest Corvette ever.

And here we have one of the great motoring paradoxes of our time. The E-Ray, like a lot of hybrids or electrics is heavy, very heavy compared to many ICE cars. And yet the performance is incredible. So much for “simplify, then add lightness”.

In the United States, “hybrid” suggests Toyota Prius, and Corvette enthusiasts of all stripes wanted to stay away from that. So emphasising performance makes the idea of a hybrid far more palatable to traditionalists, many of whom are still bemoaning the switch to the mid-engine layout which debuted in the C8. Also, the E-Ray cracks open the door for a future electric variant, one that is, for the moment, an anathema to the Corvette traditionalists.

The Corvette E-Ray will sit somewhere between the top-end, track-oriented Z06 and the Stingray, which is the gateway vehicle to the Corvette universe. The E-Ray will be a more rugged road tourer with standard all-weather tires and optional Michelin snow tires, and an E-Ray-only set of five-spoke custom wheels. The E-Ray will be available as a coupe with removable roof panels and a hardtop convertible variant starting in late 2023.