Comments on: GM Chief Says Could Develop Hybrid Corvette

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:15:44 +0000

A Corvette that can do 28 MPG on the highway is quite common. I just got home from a long trip last night and I got 29.5 with my 2007 Vette and sometime I can even do better. You can laugh all you want!

By: tom gray

tom gray — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:41:32 +0000

We all know the stupidity and fruitlessness of the CAFE rukes – they have been around forever and saw the fleet go from mild mannered sedans to gas guzzling SUVs, all with the blessing of this most brainless of brainless Govt regulations. The history of the CAFE should be a poster child to exhibit how the Feds screw EVERYTHING up. Of course, why anyone would even want to limit gasoline consumption remains one of life’s true mysteries. CAFE regs weew proposed to help reduce ourdepdendence upon foeeign oil during the gas crisis days of the 1970′s. They had zero effect.
The fact that they had no effect didn’t deter in the slightest those who have pushed these sily regs all these years. The regs have, at most, caused consumers to buy foreign brands, those with no CAFE
problems.

By: Vincent

Vincent — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:15:53 +0000

Electric motors on the front wheels…what a sweet way to get an all wheel drive launch. That would bring the Z06 to around a 3 second flat 0 to 60. Way nice!

By: ThomC

ThomC — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:43:23 +0000

I suggested something similar quite a while ago.

* Composite sandwich monocoque body/chassis (see the XP-898 concept from 1970)
* Mid-mounted E-REV power module
* Battery in the center tunnel
* Electric motors rigidly fixed to each of four independently suspended axles
* Motors mounted next to the axle pivot point (like inboard brake disks)

Optimize weight centralization and lower the CG to about 6″ above the axle.

Oh my, that puppy would FLY!

By: Texas

Texas — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:11:43 +0000

“Electric power is great but it’s decades away from exceeding anything based on gasoline.”

Decades? EEstor said they will have the EESU verified in less than one week. lol. OK, scratch that example.

Do you really think decades?

1) You didn’t talk about four wheel computer controlled vehicle dynamics. Each wheel is servo controlled to a very precise degree. Each wheel can be spun up, down, whatever, to correct just about any condition.

2) Check out the Internet where they have prototype EVs kicking the crap out of very expensive exotic cars. Just a powerful electric motor and a cheap battery. EVs have unbelievable low end torque to give outrageous 0-60 times.

3) Who the hell drives 200 + miles an hour? Now that’s ridiculous. What is your estimate of the actual amount of time, in a percentage of total time Corvette owners spend in the 90 percent and above range of top speed? I’m guessing 0.00001% of the time.

4) EVs do all that with only one moving part and no transmission needed!

5) The cost of EV battery packs is projected to be cut in half by 2020. It’s the most expensive and undeveloped component of EVs.

Thus, just a few improvements in batteries and the ICE exotic is going to be ready for retirement. When economies of scale hit and the cost of those batteries drops and cost of gasoline rises, RIP fossil-fuel-guzzling exotics.