Automakers typically use hybrid powertrains to improve fuel economies and kowtow to government relations. Not Quanta. Similar to cars like the McLaren P1 and Toyota Hybrid R concept, the hybrid technology in Quanta's Corvette QHP770 is all about performance. The show car is designed to test the waters for hybrid upgrade kits for Corvettes and other sports cars.
Quanta supplies parts for a variety of older cars, including Corvettes. The Maryland company must have realized that a 770-hp Corvette hybrid would make a much better SEMA booth centerpiece than a gas tank or radiator. So it went about adding its integrated hybrid technology to a C6 Corvette Z06.
The package consists of two 134-hp (100-kW) YASA 750 axial flux electric motors integrated into the Z06's rear differential. The pair draws power from an 11.3-kWh lithium-polymer battery pack that is charged externally and also by regeneration during driving.
The hybrid system assists the Z06's own 505-hp LS7 engine, and Quanta promises that the upgrade sends the Corvette's acceleration right into supercar territory. It hasn't put the QPH770 to the test or penned hard figures, but owner and chief engineer Gary Whiting estimates that it can hit 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 3.3 seconds and run the quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds. He was careful to point out that those are rough extrapolations, not hard figures. With a total output of 770 hp and 1,500 lb-ft (2034 Nm) of torque, we're inclined to believe they're in the ballpark.
"We are convinced that hybrid vehicle technology has tremendous potential for high performance vehicles," Whiting said in a press release. "We formed Quanta Hybrid Performance so we could demonstrate its relevance and be among the leaders in this development arena."
The QHP770 project is a first for the new Hybrid Performance division, which aims at using electric traction motors for "hy performance" versions of other vehicles. Quanta plans to gauge reaction to the QHP770 at this week's SEMA Show to get an idea about the potential for selling hybrid upgrades for C6/C7 Corvettes and other models.
Whiting says that Quanta is currently anticipating working with customers on project hy- performance cars, as opposed to selling an over-the-counter hybrid kit for DIYers. He didn't offer any pricing, stating simply that it'll be designated on a customer by customer basis.
Source: Quanta
