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2020 Chevy Corvette C8 may add a hybrid model with almost 1000 HP

3821 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  hellsop
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The new mid-engine C8 Corvette RWD (the engine is mounted behind the passenger cabin and before the rear wheels) will have up to 800 HP, but adding a 200 HP electric motor up front can result up to 1000 HP (a kHP!) overall:

"But hang on: What if we told you that within a couple of years Chevy would add a 200-hp electric motor to the mix? The twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 will abuse the rear tires while the electric motor, housed in what would typically be a front trunk, will energize the fronts. That’s right: This mid-engined/front-motor Corvette will have a horsepower rating at or near the four-digit mark."

https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...c8-the-mid-engined-white-whale-is-nearly-here

So this maybe be the first hybrid Corvette and earn the trademarked name "E-Ray".

This may also create a third-party upgrade kit for modern Corvettes, placing the motor, transaxle, and battery to the front wheels. A hybrid Corvette will save gas for low speed driving and short distances, and add 200 HP when needed as a AWD vehicle.
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I wonder how the power from the motor on the front axle is managed. I'm assuming the electric motor on the front axle has a fixed gear ratio while the ICE powers the rear axle through a multiple speed transmission. So in order to keep in balance it seems to me the inverter driving the front wheels would have to be controlled via a complex algorithm based on accelerator position, ICE torque output and transmission gear ratio.
I don't have an EE, but that sounds WAY more complicated than necessary. The engineering is in getting the ICE part into good shape and you just let the front wheels and the electrics manage the "getting going" part. (Hell, the Koenigsegg Regera doesn't even bother with the multi-speed transmission part, just a clutch. Electric get the car moving until the ICE-driven parts won't lag, then the dinoburner takes over. It makes an... odd launch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXDesz3Z0M )
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