It should come as no surprise that the entire lineup at General Motors is going to be electrified, and then ultimately all electric. But that doesn’t make the news any less exciting that the Corvette is going to be both of those things, with an electrified version coming as early as next year.
In a LinkedIn post this morning, GM President Mark Ruess announced the new electron-powered ‘Vettes.
Details are light, of course, and we don’t even have any idea what the new models will be named. But we do know that GM’s Ultium technology will be on board.
From Ruess’s post;
“Yes, in addition to the amazing new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and other gas-powered variants coming, we will offer an electrified and a fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette in the future. In fact, we will offer an electrified Corvette as early as next year. Details and names to come at a later date.”
The boffins at General Motors are also working on ways to make the Ultium electric platform even more efficient. Today, Ruess also talked about Ultium’s new patented energy recovery system.
“In addition, we also announced today Ultium Platform’s energy recovery system, a patented onboard system that takes the heat generated by EV batteries and uses it to warm the cabin, create more efficient charging conditions, and even increase vehicle acceleration,” Ruess posted. “And it can boost the vehicle’s range by about 10%. It’s a perfect example of how developing a ground-up EV platform like Ultium enables unique features not easily done with a retrofit.”
Heat loss is also the enemy of efficiency, but heat is also required to keep the carbon-based meat bags in the cabin comfy. Additionally, batteries really do like to be nice and toasty when charging to accept the maximum charge rate.
Other companies have systems like this, and GM is working on its own patented method. Another key point here is Ruess is doubling-down on building a ground-up EV will result in a better EV than taking an existing platform and electrifying it.
Are you, dare we say, shocked by the news? Are you ready for an electrified Corvette, or is it sacrilegious?
