Is GM Planning an Electric Corvette?

by Robert Loszewski, Owner and Site Administrator
CorvetteActionCenter.com
Updated: 12-21-2015: 9:00 PM ET

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, on December 16, General Motors filed trademarks (numbers 86850510 and 86850500) for “Corvette E-Ray” and just “E-Ray”. The filings specifically apply to “Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles.”

About three weeks earlier, on November 26, 2015, GM filed a patent for a “Hybrid Powertrain and Modular Rear Drive Unit.”  Although the patent doesn’t specify a mid-engine application, we can only assume that this would apply to a mid-engine, hybrid Corvette.

On May 24, 2014, the Detroit Free Press interviewed General Motors’ Global Product Chief, Mark Reuss regarding overall morale at General Motors rising up as compared to a study done in 2012. During that interview Reuss “would not rule out a hybrid or electric Vette.”

On January 12, 2015, Jalopnik had Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge Juechter answer questions online about anything regarding Corvettes and automobiles in general. When asked about the possibility of a hybrid Corvette, Juechter replied that electric cars can be “heavy, expensive,” and require “batteries that take up all your luggage room.”

We already know that cars like the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder combine electrification and internal combustion to deliver blistering performance.

Could an all-electric or hybrid Corvette be in the works for the next generation, C8 Corvette? Given the recent trademark filings by GM, it’s quite possible. Given the increasing importance and popularity of electric / hybrid motor vehicles, and continuing advancements in technology, it would definitely make sense of Chevrolet offered variants of the C8 Corvette including an electric / hybrid model. Only time will tell. Stay tuned!

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Corvette E-Ray trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

E-Ray trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

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