Automotive

Quanta demonstrates aftermarket hybrid kit with 770-hp Corvette Z06

The Quanta Corvette QHP770 is upgraded with a high-performance hybrid system
The Quanta Corvette QHP770 is upgraded with a high-performance hybrid system

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

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6 comments
mrhuckfin
I was waiting for something like this. I wonder if we could combine this with exhaust driven turbo generators to power those motors and viola free (almost) extra power with less weight then a battery pack?
Slowburn
@ mrhuckfin Use the exhaust turbine to remove parasitic load from the engine, (water/oil/airconditioning/power steering pumps, and the alternator) and you will save more money.
Gregg Eshelman
Build it but don't test it so they can show it and make all kinds of claims with the caveat that it's not actually been tried yet.
Jason Pase
A MUCH more useful solution would have been to put the extra power to the front wheels and turn the Z06 from RWD to All Wheel Drive. Add in launch control and you've got truly supercar performance in the 0-60 sub 3.0 sec category.
That being said I agree with Gregg Eshelman here in that these claims are really just pie-in-the-sky "rough extrapolations." With no real world testing yet to verify these claims I'd be very dubious about throwing a Quanta hybrid performance kit on a $89,000 car because it instantly invalidates the manufacture original powertrain warranty. Additionally, i'd be concerned about throwing instantaneous torque into the M12 6-speed manual transmission in the Z06 and not overheating it - catastrophically.
relivdallas
They need to attach the electric drives to the FRONT wheels, so that the full power can be better transferred to the ground! The BACK wheels already HAVE as much power as the tires can handle! The biggest problem is already a problem of over-powering the tires.
pegasus-rtf
Start with 2015 C07 Corvette, do not use supercharger (maybe they will not), use twin Turbo Chargers to keep turbo weight down and eliminate turbo-lag, use two 134-HP electric motors with rear differential and traction control, make smart differential with power inversely proportional to steering input (hard left turn = 134-HP to right motor and 95-HP to left motor, for example) for torque steering, electric motors compensate for any turbo lag. Left/right power balance is adjustable for torque steering-tight track needs more torque steering. No FWD-4-WD, must keep sprung weight low- this is not for dragracing, it is for road racing performance. Torque steering is awesome with SCCA twin engine enduro kart using throttling for torque steer capability. Upgrade to KERS in future.