There are murmurings out there across multiple forums that with the recent trademark application for “E-Ray,” the next Corvette generation, the C9, will be fully electric.
However, a company has already produced a fully electric Corvette. Genovation Cars is currently finishing up prototyping and testing of what they call the GXE, but is really a Corvette C7 Z06 chassis and bodywork with bigass twin-stacked electric motors and batteries relacing the V8 and fuel tank.
Oddly, unlike pretty much every other electric car, supercar, or upcoming hypercar, the GXE keeps the stock transmission from the Corvette. This means that there are, indeed, 7 speeds for the manual or 8 speeds for the automatic.
However, it has more power than the equivalent C7 ZR1: 800 HP and 718 lbs-ft of torque. In fact, it is so powerful, it currently holds the standing measured mile speed record for a production-series EV at 212 MPH.
As Genovation explains it, because of the size of the motor, it will redline at 10,000 RPM but has torque dropoff at 7,500 RPM, so shifting at “regular engine” redline makes sense. They’ve also developed the regeneration of the electric motor to give enough “engine braking” to feel like a proper downshift. However, you can also just pop it in the highest gear and use it as a standard EV, with one gear all the time.
It was in this mode that Randy Pobst, during testing, set an unofficial EV lap record at Thunderhill Raceway near Sacramento, California with an 8-speed automatic.
However, the torque from the electric motor is so strong, that the traction control had to be reprogrammed to respond nearly 100 times faster than the stock car, and you can still spin the rears from torque in 3rd gear.
They brought in Randy Pobst to help fine-tune the aerodynamics of the car, and as you can tell from the video, he loves it. It will have an active rear wing, popping up to help with braking, and then laying back down to generate the right amount of downforce for the rears to keep grip.
There will only be 75 GXE’s built, and you have to sign up at Genovation’s website to reserve one. No word on pricing, but with the technology involved, probably well North of $100,000 or more.
