When you think of fast electric vehicles, the Tesla Model S and its “Ludicrous Mode” probably come to mind, and rightly so. With the equivalent of 762 horsepower in the Model S P90D and a 0 to 60 mph time of just 2.8 seconds, few supercars could even match the electric sedan’s performance.
But what about top speed? That’s been a tough nut to crack for electric vehicle manufacturers because while instant torque helps an EV rocket off the line, all that “electric juice” runs thin as the runway gets longer. That’s where Genovation Cars comes in.
The EV tuner took a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and turned it into the “Genovation eXtreme Electric,” or GXE for short. While testing the reborn ‘vette at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds/Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, Genovation brought the sports car to a top speed of 186.8 mph. While even the regular Corvette can manage that feat these days, in the world of street-legal EVs, that figure is massive. In fact, it was nearly 10 mph quicker than the previous record holder at 177 mph.
Watch the video on Genovation’s Facebook Page.
The new record was certified by the International Mile Racing Association and the vehicle has earned the official title of, “Top Speed Street Legal Electric Car.”
The GXE capitalized on the Corvette Z06’s light body as a platform to incorporate an innovative electric powertrain good for over 700 hp and 600 pound-feet of torque. Genovation claims the prototype has a 50:50 weight distribution and a range of 130 miles during “normal driving operation.” I’m guessing drag racing doesn’t fall under that category.
“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,” said Genovation CEO Andrew Saul. The company added that its work on the GXE isn’t finished and it expects the EV to reach higher levels of performance very soon.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.