Skip advert
Advertisement

All-electric Corvette sets 205mph record in Florida

Based on a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette, the electric supercar hit more than 200mph at Kennedy Space Center

American firm Genovation has set a new land speed record for a road-legal all-electric vehicle.

Its all-electric Chevrolet Corvette, dubbed the Genovation Extreme Electric car (GXE), hit 205.6mph on the runway used for space shuttle landings at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The new record comes just months after Genovation hit 186.8mph in the same car at the same facility, taking the record from a Finnish prototype vehicle, which had run to 177mph.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Representatives from the International Mile Racing Association, which has run timing at the Shuttle Landing Facility since 2011, have officially certified the record.

Genovation hasn’t confirmed GXE’s latest specification, but back in March, when the car set its last 186mph run, the 2006 Corvette Z06’s V8 had made way for an electric motor developing ‘in excess of’ 700bhp and 600lb ft of torque.

While the car is clearly set up for performance rather than continent-crossing, it still achieves 130 miles of range during normal driving, and Genovation says it maintains the ideal sports car 50/50 weight distribution front to rear. Its batteries are packed low, aiding a low centre of gravity.

The 205mph record is just the latest electric car record to be set in a matter of weeks, after TV presenter and occasional evo contributor Jonny Smith set a new world quarter-mile record for a street-legal electric car.

In ‘Flux Capacitor’, based on a 1970s Enfield 8000 electric city car, Jonny put its roughly 800bhp to good use with a 9.8697 quarter at 121.73mph – roughly a second quicker than a Tesla Model S P90D can achieve in ‘Ludicrous mode’.

And earlier in the year, Rhys Millen set a new electric record at Pikes Peak in Colorado, coming in just six seconds behind the overall winner Romain Dumas in the Unlimited class. As electric power becomes more prevalent in the world of motorsport as it’s becoming on the road, it’s hard not to imagine further records falling over the next few years.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

​Volkswagen ID.3 review: a more subtle, more expensive Cupra Born
Volkswagen ID.3 – front
Reviews

​Volkswagen ID.3 review: a more subtle, more expensive Cupra Born

The ID.3 has been updated to address some of its key weak points, but better-value rivals have caught up
26 Mar 2024
2025 Audi e-tron GT to get 1000bhp RS model
2025 Audi e-tron GT
News

2025 Audi e-tron GT to get 1000bhp RS model

The all-electric Audi e-tron GT will benefit from the upgrades its Porsche Taycan relative has just received, including a 1000bhp RS model
22 Mar 2024
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N 2024 review – the most engaging EV yet
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Reviews

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N 2024 review – the most engaging EV yet

Hyundai has used every trick in the book – and written a few new ones – to make the Ioniq 5 N fun to drive. The results are truly impressive
20 Mar 2024
Kia EV9 2024 review – a Range Rover on a budget?
Kia EV9 – front
Reviews

Kia EV9 2024 review – a Range Rover on a budget?

Need an electric seven-seater with a 300+ mile range? Right now, the answer is Kia's EV9.
20 Mar 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024