Don't get too excited: the E-Ray, Chevrolet's first electrified Corvette, isn't pure electric and doesn't have a plug. It's a hybrid.
Then again, maybe you should get excited. Chevrolet claims this is the quickest-ever factory Corvette, with 0-96km/h (60mph in American numbers) in just 2.5 seconds. It's also the first-ever all-wheel drive Corvette, because the electric motor is mounted on the front axle.
With the standard Stingray's 6.2-litre V8 (which drives the rear wheels, of course), combined power is 488kW - a handy 119kW extra over the Kiwi-market Corvette we tested last year.
All of the new hardware only adds about 135kg to the car's weight, which is why the end product is so... brisk. The extra battery is actually tiny, designed to rapidly charge and charge in the usual hybrid manner, but recapturing energy normally lost during braking and coasting. It provides a big boost to acceleration via that front 120kW electric motor when required, then sets about charging up again as quickly as possible. There's a separate (but also new) 12-volt lithium-ion battery to take care of other vehicle functions.
READ MORE
There are six drive modes, including a hybrid-specific one called Charge+ that maximises the state of charge - for circumstances where you might want as much power available for as long as possible, such as a track day.
The E-Ray also boasts a Stealth mode, driving exclusively on EV power at up to 70km/h - but that's very much much for creeping out of the driveway in the morning, because it's only good for about 8km.
The E-Ray does advertise its performance credentials quite prominently, picking up the wide body styling from the ZO6 track-focused model.
The car was revealed in Detroit on January 17 (18th in NZ), exactly 70 years after the original 1953 model made its debut.
