Say Yes to Chevy's Electric Hot Rod Pickup Concept
Chevrolet showed this electrified 1962 C-10 pickup truck, renamed as the E-10 concept, at the SEMA show.
It looks like an old-school hot-rod truck, and its 450 horsepower would tend to confirm that, but inside it carries a pair of Chevrolet Performance eCrate motors and two 400-volt batteries.
It's a concept, of course, but Chevy says it "brings the electric option for hot rodders much closer to reality."
Call us old-fashioned, but hot-rod pickups and electrification don’t exactly mesh like other iconic couplings such as milk and cookies, or peanut butter and jelly. However, GM doesn't seem to think so, and after getting a chance to check out this Chevrolet E-10 pickup concept at SEMA, we can start to see why.
Traditionally, hot-rod pickups are powered by some sort of V-8 and can make anywhere from a modest 300 to 400 horsepower to, in some cases, up to 1000 or more. For the E-10, though, the space under the hood will house not one, but two Chevrolet Performance electric crate motors, dubbed eCrate as a nod to the gasoline crate engines that have been so popular in the world of performance modification.
The eCrate motors combine for an estimated output of 450 horsepower, and they route that power through a conventional 4L75-E automatic transmission back to the rear wheels. GM claims that the E-10 will complete a zero-to-60-mph run in about five seconds and hit the quarter-mile mark in the high-13-second range.
If you just couldn’t bear to drive your 450-hp hot rod EV without the nostalgic sounds of old, don’t worry: the E-10 has three speakers that emulate a track and touring version of the LS7-powered V-8 in the Camaro —or, if you're into that sort of thing, it can play futuristic sounds or go full silent. Even more interesting is that the emulator will adjust its sound to the changing of the transmission's gears, doing its best to imitate the glorious sounds of the hot rods of yore.
Supplying the juice for all this power are two 60.0-kWh battery packs, borrowed from the popular Chevrolet Bolt EV, stacked on top of each other and placed in the pickup's bed under a tonneau cover. Not only does the packaging work well here, but having the batteries located in the bed allows for improved load transfer and more weight over the rear axle, especially when accelerating.
Chevy didn’t provide a driving range, but we figure that 120.0 kWh would be enough to conservatively estimate somewhere in the 200-mile range. Having two batteries isn't just beneficial for more juice; it also allows them to be charged simultaneously or individually, depending on the situation.
As the automotive industry continues down the path of electrification, we can't help wondering if, years from now, people will be tossing out their old combustion engines in favor of new plug-and-play electric powertrains; only time will tell.
You Might Also Like
