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Electric Corvette sets mile record at 186.8 MPH

When we first saw the Genovation GXE all-electric Corvette on its stand at the Battery Show 2015, we were given some impressive specs – a three-second 0-to-60 run and a 200-mile-per-hour top speed – all made possible by over 700 electric horses spittin' out more than 600 pound-feet of torque. Turns out, it may just live up to that high-speed hype. With Bob Simpson – project manager (and EVDrive co-founder) – riding shotgun and multi-record holder Johnny Bohmer holding the wheel and applying a heavy right foot, the battery-powered C6 Z06 hit 186.8 mph on the tarmac of the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. That run puts the GXE in the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA) record books under the heading of "Top Speed Street Legal Electric Car." According to the press release, which you can read below, the record was set on the car's first day of testing. Its builders have confidence it's good for even more. Though they haven't said if, or where, further speed runs would occur, we can't help but think a one-on-one match up would be interesting, say, against a certain Zombie 222. Similarly fast – it reached 177.8 mph from a dead stop at the Texas Mile – it would make for a classic confrontation. Genovation vresus Blood Shed Motors; vintage pony car versus modern sportscar; DC drivetrain versus AC, the possibilities are endless. Genovation offers its GXE for $330,000 (or $290,000, if your supply the Vette donor). It features a 6-speed manual transmission, a 44kWh battery pack and is said to be good for 150 miles on a full charge. Related Video: FLORIDA (2/29/2016) -- Genovation Cars is proud to announce a new top speed record achieved by its prototype high-performance all-electric Corvette, the Genovation eXtreme Electric or GXE. The vehicle was being tested at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds/Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, conducting research to improve vehicle performance. During the course of testing, the car broke the record for the Top Speed Street Legal Electric Car category with a speed of 186.8 mph on the date of February 23, 2016. The record was certified by the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA). The previous record was 177 mph, set by a Finnish prototype car. The GXE, based on a 2006 Z06 Corvette, includes a state-of-the-art battery management system, inverters, batteries and electric motors that produce in excess of 700-hp and 600 lb-ft of torque.

Ford also working on 200-mile EV to compete with Bolt, Model 3

The Chevrolet Bolt is on a lot of people's radars. You may have even noticed friends and colleagues who harbor very little interest in the automotive world, or anything labeled as "green," who have taken notice of a 200-mile electric vehicle coming out of Detroit. Mass appeal is the idea, after all. You can include Ford in the list of interested parties, in this case with the intention of taking direct aim at the Bolt – and, by proxy, the Tesla Model 3 – with an affordable, long-range EV of its own. Ford will unveil its own long-range EV, positioned to compete with Chevrolet, later this year, according to Automobile. Details are very scarce about Ford's plans, but we do know that the Bolt (or whatever the Chevy all-electric hatchback will end up being called) is expected to offer over 200 miles of driving between charges, with a sticker price around $30,000. The other major player, of course, is Tesla's smaller, more affordable sibling to the Model S. The Model 3, also slated to go on sale in 2017, should cost less than $40,000. While Tesla has established itself in the EV world, another long-range EV out of Detroit would win some customers from the California-based startup. For now, though, we'll just have to wait, as Ford remains tight-lipped about its plans for the car. Automobile predicts a possible unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, what with California's EV mandate being a driver of strategy for various automakers. Most can agree, though, that a larger field of options – while not ideal for backers of the Bolt or Model 3 – will only benefit the car-buying public. Related Video: Featured Gallery Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept: Detroit 2015 Related Gallery Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept News Source: AutomobileImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Rumormill Chevrolet Ford Tesla Electric Future Vehicles Chevy Bolt ford ev

Did the Chevy Corvette Z06 break 7 minutes at the Ring? Not likely

"Just because it's on the internet doesn't make it true." That's rule number one, two and arguably, three, of surfing the world wide web. In today's example of this rule, we have the following. The website HorsepowerKings is claiming that a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, with the eight-speed automatic and Z07 package, managed to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes. To put that in perspective, that super-quick time would put the 650-horsepower, $97,000 (the price of a 2LZ with the Z07/8AT combo) Z06 a mere two seconds slower around the world's most challenging race track than the $929,000, 887-horsepower Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach. It's about eight seconds quicker than Nissan's own test of the GT-R Nismo Track Pack and 13 seconds faster than a Dodge Viper ACR. Unfortunately, Chevy says there isn't anything to it. We reached out to the Bowtie's Monte Doran, who confirmed that HK's claims are "not accurate." "Any one – a manufacturer, a journalist, a guy standing on the fence of the Ring – can claim a lap time. As such, we think the in-car video is essential to proving a time is real and credible, and Chevrolet will not release a lap until we have a video to substantiate the claim," Doran told Autoblog. "Chevrolet accumulated nearly 1,000 miles of testing on the Nurburgring with the Z06. During that time, we only had two opportunities to run a lap on video – and both were rained out. If we get a lap on video, we will post an official time." Doran finished by referencing the "only official lap time" for the Z06 – a 2:41 around the Virginia International Raceway. Frankly, we aren't terribly surprised by Chevy's position. One would imagine if the Z06 were matching million-dollar hypercars around the 'Ring, the company would literally be screaming about it from Renaissance Center's rooftop. As this is quite the opposite of that, though, we're betting that the real Z06 lap time - while still likely very, very fast – won't be quite quick enough to frighten the brightest and best of today's hypercars.