Corvette
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Chevy's first hybrid Corvette leaks ahead of summer 2023 arrival
Chevy's first hybrid Corvette, the E-Ray, has leaked — and it offers a few big hints of what to expect.
Chevrolet is making an all-electric Corvette
Chevy will release a Corvette EV, and a hybrid is coming as soon as 2023.
GM is reportedly considering an electric Corvette SUV
GM might be working on a Corvette family of vehicles, including an electric crossover.
Chevrolet's refreshed 2021 Corvette has wireless CarPlay, Android Auto
The 2021 Corvette keeps the same starting price and engine placement, but now it comes standard with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Chevrolet unveils convertible and race car versions of its 2020 Corvette
In July we finally got a good look at the first mid-engine Corvette from Chevrolet, and now the company has followed up that unveiling with two variations on the the theme: a hardtop convertible and a race car. There aren't many details about the racing version, but the C8.R is visibly wider than the roadgoing 2020 Stingray, with added splitters, vents and wings attached to every surface. They should do a lot to keep the car planted on the track when it makes its debut at Daytona in January at the Rolex 24.
2020 Corvette moves the engine back and adds over-the-air updates
After decades of speculation and nearly endless teasing, Chevrolet has unveiled the long-awaited mid-engined Corvette. Scheduled to begin production later this year, the 2020 Stingray brings the "fastest 0-60 time of any entry Corvette ever" -- with a starting price promised under $60,000 and a right hand-drive version -- thanks to a naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 engine capable of 495 HP. We'll leave the performance breakdown and peeks at the engine compartment's "jewel-like setting" to Autoblog, but there's some new tech inside that frame too. Chevrolet calls its interior a "driver-centric cockpit," and for the first time the Corvette has a fully digital instrument cluster. That's in addition to the high-res infotainment screen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and optional 4G LTE connection. The Performance Data Recorder / Valet Mode system it added in 2014 has been updated for high resolution 1080p recording, plus it allows the driver to create custom point-to-point road courses and compare performance between different trips over the route automatically.
The 65th anniversary Corvette is a performance beast for data nerds
The Corvette is 65 years old. Take a moment to let that sink in. Typically, in your sixties, you slow down. You relax and if you're lucky, settle into a nice long retirement. The 2018 Z06 Carbon 65 convertible is doing none of those things. If anything, Chevrolet has produced one of the best Corvettes ever. It's fast (duh), but thanks to lightweight materials and an onboard data tracking system, the Vette is ready for the new generation of drivers to take the wheel. Just be ready to drop a lot of cash. Like, all your cash.
Watch an electric Corvette shatter a speed record
Numerous car makers and gearheads have built extremely quick electric vehicles, but who holds the speed record? Not necessarily who'd you'd expect. The International Mile Racing Association has declared that Genovation's GXE, a heavily modified Chevy Corvette, is the world's fastest street-legal electric car. As you'll see in the video below, the sports EV hit a brisk 186.8MPH while hardly breaking a sweat. The GXE team accomplished the feat in its first day of testing, in fact, so it's entirely possible that you'll see higher speeds in the near future.
Hackers control connected cars using text messages
It's not only Chrysler drivers that have to worry about hackers taking control of their cars from afar. UC San Diego researchers have found that you can control features on cars of many makes by exploiting vulnerabilities in cellular-capable dongles that are sometimes plugged into the vehicles' OBD-II ports, such as insurance trackers and driving efficiency tools. In the example you see above, the security team compromised a Corvette touting a Mobile Devices dongle (one of the most common varieties) through everyday text messages -- they could turn on the wipers or even cut the brakes. That same device is also set to allow remote tunneling using a universal 'private' key, making it easy for an intruder to get complete control over the adapter and its unfortunate host car.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric Corvettes and volcano sharks
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Tesla is the hottest electric automaker around, but a mysterious new company called Faraday Future is nipping at its heels -- and poaching its employees. Rumor has it Faraday is working on a next-gen electric car, and it has assembled a crack team of automotive execs and designers from Tesla, GM, Ford, and Fiat. In other transportation news, Tesla gave the Model S a major upgrade with a new "Ludicrous Mode" that goes from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds. An all-electric Corvette will soon be hitting the streets -- and it could reach a record-breaking top speed of over 200MPH. The Solar Impulse airplane has traveled halfway around the globe on sunlight alone, but it looks like it'll have to wait until next year to complete its voyage -- the plane's batteries sustained heavy damage while crossing the Pacific Ocean en route to Hawaii. And if you're still waiting for a working hoverboard, the RevoBot may be the next best thing. The futuristic body gravity board lets you glide along at 7MPH.
Corvette's 'valet mode' is illegal depending on where you live
When we took the Corvette Performance Data Recorder for a spin at CES this year we'd never have guessed that the system could cause a run-in with Johnny Law. As it turns out, the system's audio recording feature that activates when the car's put into valet mode doesn't jive with privacy statutes in a handful of states. In fact, using it could be a felony depending where you live. Chevrolet, for its part, is apparently attempting to skirt any legal issues that may arise by notifying dealerships and giving them letters to pass out to customers. The correspondence alerts owners about the possible privacy issue, as noticed by Jalopnik when a sample was posted to Corvette Forum.
The 2015 Corvette has a video recording of everything the valet did in your car
The human body undergoes some weird physical changes when it hands the keys to a shiny new car to someone else; the pulse quickens, the throat dries out and the palms get unnaturally clammy. If that shiny new car happens to be a Corvette, though, the human body may be able to worry a little less - Chevy kitted the 2015 model out with a Valet Mode to help you lock down your ride when you're not the one driving it. Once you key in your code and fire up Valet Mode (introduced in 2014), the system springs into action: the glovebox and the storage bin in the center console automatically lock themselves and the infotainment system gets disabled completely. There's something new this year though: using the Performance Data Recorder tech, a built-in camera films where the car goes (complete with vehicle data like speed and engine RPM) while a microphone records what's going on inside the cabin. Sure, using the feature may speak to an intense distrust of your fellow man (if you've seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off), but really now -- what have those randoms done to earn your trust in the first place?
Quadriplegic racer will drive a Corvette using only his head
When Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt crashed in 2000 and became a quadriplegic, many assumed that his driving days were over. However, technology is about to put him back on the track. Arrow Electronics has developed the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) project, a modified 2014 Corvette Stingray that will let Schmidt drive using only head tilts. An array of infrared sensors will translate his head movements into steering commands, letting him race around with ease; the only control he'll touch is a pressure sensor in his mouth for braking. GPS will also keep Schmidt out of harm's way by creating virtual fences around the track walls that nudge the car back on course.
Chevrolet debuts Corvette Performance Data Recorder: records audio, video and overlays telemetry (hands-on)
Chevrolet spent some time before CES showing us how it plans to offer Corvette owners a new instrument to hone their track skills: the Performance Data Recorder (PDR). The system, which was designed with British auto engineering company Cosworth, will begin shipping in 2015 Corvette Stingrays as a factory add-on. In its simplest form, the PDR captures video with user-selectable levels of vehicle telemetry overlaid on the 720p output. In its most complex, the session data can be dissected by the included Cosworth Toolbox software on your PC. The PDR consists of three main bits: audio and video recording, telemetry capture and an SD card slot in the glove compartment where the data is sorted. The driver then selects one of four modes: Track, Sport, Touring or Performance and with the click of a button on the car's 8-inch display, sets the start/finish line and begins recording the lapping session. Once started, the system starts grabbing info from a dedicated GPS receiver that captures data points five times more often than a normal GPS, a 720p camera mounted at the top of the windscreen begins recording and then hooks into the car's Controller Area Network (CAN) for access to all the vehicle's performance data. During our time in the driver's seat, we used Track mode as it records the most metrics including speed, throttle position, brake force, rpm, g-force, lap time and even a location-based map. Once you come to a stop, you can quickly replay the video in-car or take it offline and examine every nuance of the drive on your desktop.
Captain's Log: The Scimitar arrives in Star Trek Online
I'm back from a great trip to Northern California, during which I took the opportunity to drop in on Cryptic Studios and specifically the Star Trek Online team to see what they had up their sleeves following their success with the Legacy of Romulus expansion. While I was able to interview numerous people while I was there, so much new stuff is coming out that I just can't not go over it here. The new summer event on Risa has already begun, and a big new ship is making her debut in the game. I got a great close-up look at her and her sisters and the inside scoop of what she'll be capable of! So join me past the break as I investigate Star Trek Online's new predator of a ship: the Scimitar!
Test drive the 2014 Corvette Stingray in Gran Turismo 5
The latest Corvette model, the 2014 Corvette Stingray, will be available to you for free ... in Gran Turismo 5. It'll be released at no charge tomorrow as DLC. Technically, the car was already available, in a camouflaged "prototype" form; however, now you'll be able to both drive a Corvette and look at a Corvette.The in-game reveal comes closely after the unveiling of the real car at the North American International Auto Show. On the PlayStation Blog, Sony noted that the new 'Vette gets more than 26 miles per gallon, the best gas mileage of any car in the line. The Gran Turismo version performs infinitely better in this regard.
PhoneGap v1.3 brings better cross-platform app coding to Windows Phone
Nitobi's PhoneGap project helps app developers to code for multiple mobile OSs simultaneously, thanks to the open standard wonders of HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. It's supported Windows Phone since the beginning, but v1.3 builds on that friendliness by opening up the API's full feature set and hence every limb and organ of a Mango handset, from the compass right through to storage and notifications. New plug-ins yield extra goodies, like Live Tile updates, BingMaps Search and social networking integration. Plus, in the interests of fairness, the full list of improvements (at the source link) contains some nuggets for Android, iOS and BlackBerry coders too.
1996 Corvette converted into a 2011 electric odyssey (video)
A supercharged Chevrolet Corvette may have been all the hotness back in 1996, but times and tastes change and now people are all about the electric boogaloo. Today we get to witness one modern man's transition into this brave new world, a Wayne Bickley from California, who has gutted his crow-black '96 Corvette and replaced the messy internal combustion setup with a set of 18 XS Power XP1000 batteries, a DC electric motor, and his own clutchless six-speed transmission. The end result doesn't really look much different, but its 20-mile "spirited driving" range and 85mph top speed will surely feel different and it does also sound very much like something from the future. Check out this modernized Chevy on video after the break.
1960s Corvette stars in new GT5 screens
Click for high-resolution image. Car enthusiasts are going to drool when they see these new screenshots of Gran Turismo, which focus on the 1960s Corvette. Yes, this is a thing of beauty. The alluring curves, the smooth body, and the tight ... controls have us wanting more.If this classic car doesn't suit your taste, don't worry -- there's twenty new images added to our gallery. We're certain you'll find something that'll make you say "wow."%Gallery-4885%
Mac Mini in a Corvette
After our little scare with the Mac Mini last week, the little boxen that could is quickly becoming my favorite computer (still can't wait to get one with Leopard on it). So seeing cool applications of it like this one thrills me to no end: Andrew sent us his writeup of putting a Mac Mini into a Corvette (complete with touchscreen monitor) as a music player.The whole process looks pretty complicated to me-- the most I've done with my car stereo is install an old CD player, and by install I mean "watched my friend do it." But Andrew's writeup is really thorough, and he goes through everything from choosing components to creating a layout, to potential problems during installation, and what he plans to do next. Apparently the Mini is almost tailormade for car systems like this-- not only is there a special cable built to power it in the car, but there is even a special version of Front Row designed to be controlled from a touchscreen. Not everything worked well, however-- the Mini had a grounding problem, apparently, and Andrew had an issue with the Mini's volume setting reverting after a restart, but he was able to punch out an Applescript to fix it.The end product looks great-- Andrew says he's still working on the mounts, but considering he's got a working touchscreen controlling a Mac Mini in his Corvette, that's good enough for me. Very nice.
