This 800bhp Corvette Is All-Electric And A Manual – Genovation GXE
A game-changer I know. This Genovation GXE Corvette is powered entirely by batteries, but still has the gearbox of old. That’s right, it’s a manual ‘box – derived from the 7-speed found in the standard Vette, but adapted to cope with an electric powertrain, torque and all.
Let’s first of all run through some figures: 800hp and 700nm of torque from two motors perched on the rear wheels. A sub-three second 0-60mph time, and a top speed of 220mph – 8mph faster than the 2019 ZR1. The downside? A range of only 175 miles. Yes, not overly competitive, but this car is much more to the industry than a collection of numbers. I’ll get to that later.
(Video below shows a prototype)
These motors are produced by AMRacing and are powered by a 61.6kWh ‘state-of-the-art’ battery pack. I mentioned the low range before, but there’s a good reason for such a pitiful number. These batteries designed by Lithos Energy are designed for high energy output and performance, and therefore sacrifice the long-range over outright performance. I can deal with that.
Only 75 of these cars will be produced at $750,000 each, plus the purchase of the original car – yes, it’s a package type affair, a shame I know. But Genovation does a good job o persuading us with plenty of carbon fibre bits and pieces including wheels by Carbon Revolution and body panels, and big brakes from Brembo to bring the silent car to a halt. They will also replace the standard suspension with an active unit.
If you think that would be enough, they also give the interior a going over with Alcantara and a new infotainment screen and a few other design changes to differentiate this over the standard car. But even then it seems expensive. But is it worth it?
This car proves that the electric car is not marking the death of the driver’s car. What have us car enthusiasts always clung to with both hands? The manual gearbox. We’ve complained about the fastest cars on the market only being available with autos, and the electric car revolution was the final nail in the coffin. But now we know we can have our cake and eat it, too! Thank God.
So for now I have to insist that this car is worth the large price tag. Not for what it is, but for what it stands for. If this car succeeds, then we’ll see more manual electric cars on the road. Now that’s something I’d pay money for.
