Forward-looking: As with many of the vehicles at SEMA, the E-10 is a concept that remains in the testing stage for now. Still, it is fun that Chevy is even willing to experiment with something like this. The hope is that one day, we'll get crate-style electric powerplants ready to drop into your next project without the need for a specialty shop.
Ford wasn't the only American automaker turning heads in Las Vegas this week with an electric powerplant. Rival Chevrolet at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show brought along a modified 1962 C-10 pickup outfitted with an electric powertrain derived from the Chevy Bolt EV.
The electric propulsion system, from Connect & Cruise, uses a "double stack of Chevrolet Performance concept electric crate motors (eCrate)" alongside two 400-volt batteries mounted in the bed of the truck under a hard tonneau cover. Helping get the estimated 450 horsepower to the ground is a conventional SuperMatic 4L75-E automatic transmission.
Chevy estimates the truck can reach 60 mph in around five seconds and run the quarter mile in the high 13-second range. That's impressive, especially for a truck of this age, but not the groundbreaking performance we've come to expect from high-end electrics like the Tesla Roadster.
Russ O'Blenes, director of Performance Variants, Parts & Motorsports, said they designed the system to deliver both power and range but notably, didn't mention the vehicle's estimated range per charge.
Annoyingly, Chevy couldn't just let the electric live in its own skin. They added a "sound emulator" that mimics the sound of a V8 to in order to "fit in with other hot rods on the road." Fortunately, this can be disabled.