Chevrolet takes hot rodding to an electrifying level with its new E-10 concept, which headlined the SEMA show for the company this year.
Hot rodding is the practice of packing a big engine into an old car, usually a truck, like what the Bowtie did for the E-10. But instead of an oversized internal-combustion engine, the automaker went all-electric by outfitting a 1962 C-10 pickup with powertrain components from the Chevy Bolt EV.
But going all-electric doesn’t mean the model lacks muscle. Built on General Motors’ Connect & Cruise framework, the Chevy E-10 boasts 450 horsepower under the hood along with a pair of 60-kWh battery packs in the cargo bed protected by a hard tonneau cover.
A pair of eCrate motors drive the rear wheels through GM’s conventional SuperMatic 4L75-E automatic transmission, delivering a 0-60 time within five seconds and a quarter mile within the 13-second range.
Aside from switching the powertrain, Chevrolet also equipped the truck with an illuminated bowtie emblem, LED lighting at the front and rear, a lowered suspension, 20-inch wheels up front and 22-inch ones at the back, a digital instrument display, and an audio emulator system to replicate the Camaro Z28 sound.
But the most impressive part about the Chevy E-10 is that it only took the company 18 weeks to build it in time for the show, starting from the concept to its completion.
“We designed this system to deliver both power and range,” said Russ O’Blenes, director of Performance Variants, Parts, & Motorsports. “The exciting part is that we’re just getting started. Just as we have done over the years with our performance crate engine, we will continue to refine and improve electric propulsion Connect & Cruise concept systems. Our goal is to provide greater power with greater range, suiting the different needs and priorities of all types of enthusiasts,” he added.
Whether the concept will translate to final production versions of the automaker’s models remains to be seen. But if it does, things for GM sure look promising.
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