Hot Take: An Electric Corvette Would be the Death of the Brand
Here’s why GM’s move toward an all-electric Corvette would be an abomination and the end of the sports car as we know it.
News broke yesterday that GM is moving the Corvette engineering team to their Autonomous and Electric Vehicles Program. This move leaves us with a lot of questions. Most importantly in my mind, is GM turning the Corvette into electric sports car? Is an e-Vette the future?
I, for one, certainly hope not.
The phrase “as an automotive designer” is one I have used too many times throughout my career as a content editor. But my design background is especially applicable in this topic. Designers are able to define the intangible aspects of experiencing an automobile. We are capable of putting into words the ‘spirit’ of a sports car. Because we often understand the purpose of each sensory element in every car. And I could write a book on what defines the character of the legendary Corvette. But here’s why turning it into an electric vehicle would essentially kill America’s sports car.
When analyzing the design of a sports car, I place a heavy emphasis on what I like to call the X-Factor, AKA the driving experience. And this X-Factor is especially important for the Corvette. After all, driving them is the most exhilarating aspect of owning Corvettes.
What defines, ‘Driving Experience?’
Three key components, actually. Driving position, user interaction, and most importantly, sound.
In other words, what you see, what you touch, and what you hear, and how the car engages you in all of those aspects. And, while perhaps the driving position might not vary greatly in an e-Vette, the other two would be significantly compromised.
The user interaction revolves around the touchpoints of the car. How you drive it, how you interact with it, and how much input you have into the mechanical operation of the machine. With a Corvette, you have the precise steering. There’s the capable suspension moving you in and out of the corners. There’s the throttle. And the paddle shifters if automatic, and the stick and the clutch if it’s manual.
And then there’s the sound. The harmony of a Corvette’s V8 is perhaps the most engaging aspect of driving one. The low-rev rumble, the high-rev scream, the rowdy rev-match, and everything in between. The monstrous sound coming out of the back of those tailpipes is what brings these sleeping dragons to life.
…the future is likely NOT all-electric.
And it’s not as if internal combustion engine development has come to a halt. The technology is still progressing towards more and more efficient and powerful plants. Take Formula 1 for example. The turbo/hybrid power unit includes a 1.6-liter V6 engine. And it is capable of over 1,000 horsepower! So the future is likely NOT all-electric.
And in reality, you can make an electric Corvette that looks just as cool. But when you subtract so much of the visceral experience of driving a Corvette, is what you’re left with even really a Corvette?
Alternate Theories
With all that said, the optimist in me has other theories about GM moving its Corvette engineers. It is possible that the C8 project is complete at this point and there won’t be a need for a good number of those engineers until the development of the C9 commences. And it’s likely that not all Corvette engineers are being moved. I’ll bet quite a few still remain to see through the introduction of the next few variations.
As alluded to in yesterday’s breaking article, this is probably an effort to redirect resources and cut down expenditure. And hopefully, once things are back to normal, and it is time to create the next Corvette, these amazing engineers will refocus on America’s sports car once again. Maybe naturally aspirated, maybe with forced induction, maybe even a hybrid. But never a fully electric Corvette.
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