Evil EV Chevy Camaro eCOPO makes 520kW
Forget ludicrous mode, the new electric eCOPO Camaro has WTF bonkers modeWhen one America's most recognised muscle cars ditches its supercharged V8 for an electric motor, you know there's a change in the wings.
Meet the Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro Concept, which will blast through the quarter mile speed trap in the 9sec bracket. That's 400m in less than 10 seconds. That makes it quicker than the original Bugatti Veyron – and probably a smidge cheaper too.
Based on a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, the eCOPO premiered at the SEMA expo in Las Vegas and generates at least 520kW and 800Nm of torque, or 700hp and 600 lb-ft. That power comes from GM's first 800-volt battery pack, feeding a single electric motor created by fusing two BorgWarner HVH 250-150 motor assemblies.
This powerplant is hooked up to a race-spec 'Turbo 400' automatic transmission and a drag-ready solid rear axle.
"The eCOPO Concept is all about where we go in the future with electrification in the high performance space," said Russ O'Blenes, the bloke who runs General Motors' performance variants, parts and motorsports division.
"Eight hundred volts is more than twice the voltage of the battery packs in the production Chevrolet Volt and Bolt EV, so the eCOPO pushes into new technological territory.
"As GM advances its electrification leadership, a big step might just come from the drag strip," he said.
Chevy is looking to commercialise its EV motorsport exploits and has plans to offer electric crate motors that customers could dump into their own cars.
According to Chevy, the eCOPO Camaro's electric motor "has the same bell house mounting pattern and crankshaft flange as the popular LS-family engines" which would confer plug-and-play compatibility for motor fitment.
"The possibilities are intriguing and suggest a whole new world for racers," added O'Blenes.
"Chevrolet pioneered the concept of the high-performance crate engine right around the time the original COPO Camaro models were created, and the eCOPO project points to a future that could include electric crate motors for racing, or even your street rod.
"We're not there yet, but it's something we're exploring," he said.
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