Our 7 favorite facts about the 2024 Chevy Corvette E-Ray

You read that right. With its front-mounted electric motor, the E-Ray represents the return of the front-engine Vette – so to speak. Putting it into all-electric stealth mode also makes the E-Ray the first-ever front-wheel drive Corvette, but the silence breaks above 45 mph or after heavy throttle inputs. Then comes the noisy 6.2-liter V8 that drives the rear wheels, making the first hybrid Corvette the first with all-wheel drive as well.

When we spoke to engineers who helped develop the hybrid Corvette, they told us that the E-Ray has a top speed of about 180 mph. However, we were also told that the electric motor is rated above the 150mph mark. Still, good luck getting a more traditional hybrid like the Toyota Prius to go that fast. GM also calls the E-Ray the fastest production Corvette ever built, hitting 60 mph in a claimed 2.5 seconds. If that turns out to be true, it would be a Tenths faster than the Z06 we tested.

The most useful thing about the Corvette E-Ray’s all-electric stealth mode is not only a nice party trick, but also the ability to leave your neighborhood without alerting the neighbors.
(Note: A previous version of this story suggested that there is no reverse stealth mode; in fact there is, so feel free to retreat from your problems.)

The E-Ray isn’t just the first all-wheel drive hybrid Corvette; It’s also the first car to be sold with both carbon-ceramic brakes and all-season tires as standard. eBoost-assisted carbon-ceramic discs with Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers fit spacious 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels shod with size 275/30 all-season rubber 345/ 25

The rear tires on the Corvette E-Ray are immense. While the 275-wide front tires are relatively large on their own, the 345-wide rear tires are gigantic in comparison. A stickier set for summer riding is also available, but all-season rubber is standard. Chevy engineers told us the all-season tires would be good for up to 1.0g of lateral grip. We’ve also learned that the E-Ray’s rear wheels are the widest all-season tires ever fitted to a production car, and we couldn’t find anything to refute that claim.

By now you’re probably wondering how much the electric motor, battery pack and various other hybrid components contribute to the Corvette’s curb weight. Chevy engineers told us it’s about 300 pounds compared to the Z06 versions. On our scales, a coupe weighed 3666 pounds and a Convertible was 3799 pounds. Simple math suggests the latter will eclipse the 2-ton mark, making the Droptop E-Ray the first model to weigh over 4000 pounds and becoming the fattest Vette ever.

The Corvette E-Ray’s hybrid system is plugless, meaning it has a short electric range of just a few miles. That’s intentional, as the small 1.1kWh battery pack crammed between its passengers is intended primarily for performance rather than outright efficiency. Chevy engineers explained that the battery is designed for fast charging and discharging. The battery is designed to last as long as the car has gas on short and tight street courses. However, this is not the case on longer racetracks like Virginia International Raceway (VIR), where the E-Ray’s unique Charge+ setting is required to maximize battery charge levels.