Long gone are the days when electric cars were viewed as the uncool, slow counterparts of the thriving internal combustion-powered variants. Don’t believe us? Check out this Corvette then…
If Tesla and its series of high-torque models didn’t prove that an electric automobile can be fast and fun, this Corvette just might. That’s because this particular automobile just recorded the highest top speed achieved by an electric automobile.
Constructed by Genovation Cars, this high-speed, high-performance all-electric Corvette was tested at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds/Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, conducting research to improve vehicle performance.
During this time, the Corvette broke the speed record on February 23, 2016, registering 186.8 mph, or exactly 300 km/h. The record was certified by the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA), beating the previous 177 mph (284 km/h) standard set by a Finnish prototype.
Called the GXE, the project uses a Corvette Z06 as a base and it includes a state-of-the-art battery management system, inverters, batteries and electric motors that produce – as the company says – in excess of 700 HP and 600 lb-ft (813 Nm) of torque. But speed isn’t everything about this performance automobile, as it has a range of 130 miles (209 kilometers) during normal driving operation, a near 50/50 weight distribution and is optimized for a low center of gravity.
“We are thrilled that the result of our development testing led to the setting of this record. Based on our experience so far, we believe the car to be extremely robust as we set the record on our first day of testing. We fully expect the car to do a lot more”, said Genovation CEO Andrew Saul
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