Combinations in Hinting

What does a Chevrolet Corvette, Volt, Spark EV and the Tesla Model S all have in common?  Right now nothing unless you take the Corvette out because the others are all EV models, but recent new point to the idea that the Corvette may eventually have a lot in common with all of these other names.  This comes as nothing more than a rumor and a hint at what could become a truth as two new trademarks have been filed for by GM, one that is for the Corvette E-Ray and the other which is for just the E-Ray name.

This could be nothing more than a place filler, but for GM to file for trademarks of the name leads me to believe they have already decided what to call the car next they need to figure out what the electric version of the Corvette will be.  It seems Chevrolet is poised and ready to take a crack at letting the Corvette have an electrically assisted powertrain to go along with the power of the massive V8 that is already in place in this car.  How Chevrolet plans to present this to us is still of question, but here are some thoughts.

First of all, Chevrolet has already seen what massive torque can do when using and electric motor.  The Spark EV offered 420 lb.-ft. of torque right off the line as most EV models do.  Seeing the Tesla Model S P90D that could reach sixty mph in only 2.6 seconds certainly has the eyebrows raised at GM because the Corvette is supposed to be the power and speed champion of the American automakers.  Without a doubt knowing they already have the tech in house to get the job done the Corvette team is working with the Spark and Volt teams to see what they can come up with.

What we might see on the market is a Corvette E-Ray that offers massive power but a smaller engine.  The Corvette might go down to a V6 but add three electric motors to add insane power.  Another school of thought is the car will keep its strong V8 and add the same motors to the build and let us have  Corvette that can take on the likes of the European exotics and leave them starring at the taillights as the Corvette speeds on by.  Of course both of these are possibilities from GM and for a market that loves to have choices.

What I would hope would not happen is the Corvette ends up priced out if its market.  If the Corvette were to have a powertrain similar to the Porsche 918 it wouldn’t sell well as a car that cost $1 million or anywhere close to it.  Instead it will be important for Chevrolet to find the right powertrain to boost the power and give the Corvette the instant torque that other hybrid powertrains enjoy while keeping the car at a price more of us can afford to drive. 

So far all of this is simply speculation and hopeful forward thinking, but what has happened for certain is the filing of the two patents, which will get anyone wondering what Chevrolet is up to with the Corvette and the E-Ray name.