GENOVATION CARS

Meet the prototype of Genovation's GXE electric supercar 

Paying six digits in a car is not for the weak, especially when the first digit is a seven. But that's what it will cost - $750,000-to slide into the driver's seat of Genovation Cars ' GXE asphalt destroyer, an electric hypercar based on the Corvette C7 that is capable of reaching more than 320 km / h and has its price compatible with the characteristics it presents. Only 75 units will be made. Genovation is a small boutique manufacturer located in Maryland, USA, but the company's goal goes far beyond just producing fast electric Corvette. Forbes spoke with founder and CEO Andrew Saul, who is funding the venture to date and has experience in automotive technology and finance. According to the executive, the company has been working to attract external investment in the near future, especially around some of its technological developments, but it will finance the production of GXE when it starts.
Saul says that, in addition to building cars, he plans to sell the technology he developed to GXE for OEM (original Equipment Manufacturer, which means “Original Equipment Manufacturer”) automotive companies, including better, smaller, lighter and more efficient Chargers, voltage converters and thermal management. “During the development of GXE, we created a really great technology that we want to refine a little more and bring to market and hopefully license it to top-tier parts suppliers, " he reports. He says he also looks outside the automotive sphere and thinks about the electrification of other industries, such as maritime (boats), drones, among others.

Humble origin
Saul reveals that his company began working with cars in 2008 in order to manufacture low-cost electric vehicles. The first generation was based on the reform of the Ford Focus platform, but the second featured an entirely new, streamlined, high-tech design that even incorporated even more environmentally friendly elements, such as parts made of soy resin and recycled plastic bottles. Potential customers, mainly municipalities, were also interested in electric pickups and other automobiles. Saul says he hoped to sell an electric vehicle conversion kit based on the Ford Focus Project. It was a bold idea that, after all, did not work out with the financial crisis, so the businessman turned his attention to something with a slightly more sophisticated profile: to replace Corvettes on an electric power train that could reach 320 km/h.



In 2017, the goal of 320 km/h was achieved when a prototype of the Genovation Corvette Z06 C6 test car reached a world record at 336 km/h on a huge runway in Florida, which previously served as a landing site for the now extinct orbital space shuttle. "Without our talented and dedicated team at Genovation, GXE would not have set such significant milestones”" Saul said. The GXE prototype has achieved several notable records, such as the first electric car to reach 320 km / h, 336 km / h, and the Guinness World Record at the standing mile, which is a race in which cars accelerate for 1 mile (1.6 km
The GXE retains the overall body style and spatial structure of the Corvette C7, but Saul's team made changes to the car's side and rear mirrors. The CEO says they opted “for more traditional round Corvette lights, but with an afterburner look and 3D printing that people really love." A tasteful LED lighting gives a clue that something is a little different in GXE.

Electrified propellant generates 800hp of power and 99.2 kgfm of torque

Under the hood, two electric motors working by means of a custom coupler connected to a single drive shaft. A special oil-based cooling system keeps the temperatures of the parts under control. Currently, the configuration produces 800 horsepower and 99.2 kgfm of torque. Saul reveals that he intends to put a total of 60kWh of batteries in the finished vehicle, but since he does not use a skateboard-style axle architecture, they will be installed as well as possible, including in the space previously occupied by the gas tank, above the engines, in the trunk area and in the old transmission tunnel. The executive also reports that the placement and design of the battery was one of the most challenging aspects in the conversion of the chassis to gas to electric. Range will not be the strong point of the car with a device of this size, but the GXE is not exactly made for everyday use(although it would be very good if buyers wanted it). Saul says that if a buyer wanted a long-range version of the vehicle, a change in battery type could guarantee it, but possibly with loss of output power. Currently, GXE is using cylindrical batteries of type 18650 similar to those found in Tesla electric vehicles.
Perhaps the only one in the world of electric cars, at least at this level of performance, the GXE will be available with the Corvette's seven-speed Tremec manual transmission or eight-speed automatic transmission, which also includes bearings (used to reduce friction and serve as support for all the car's turning parts). Due to the huge torque output of an electric motor and the plethora of electronic controls needed for proper operation, most of these vehicles –including Teslas-are single-gear machines. The Porsche Taycan dual-engine electric car is perhaps the best-known exception, but it uses only a two-variation automatic gearbox and only on the rear wheels.
Saul says that getting the automatic transmission to work with the electric motor was actually more difficult than synchronizing the manual gearbox. "Currently, automatic transmission controllers are very sophisticated”" he says. Fortunately, Corvette uses CAN Bus, a fully digital vehicle data management system that has become more common due to its typical "plug-and-play" approach to synchronizing these sets of car information. Think of it as your computer'S USB system; in which connects a variety of devices and they usually work. But it was still difficult for Saul's team to make the automatic transmission work with the electric motor. Initially, they managed only Park( park), Neutral( neutral), Reverse (reverse) and the fourth gear to work on their test car. “It took a lot of work to make the transmission controller 'think' that the engine was there, " but the team managed to make it work, says Saul. “We figured out how to make it change very smoothly, but still very fast. It's fun to use paddle shifters.”
With the manual gearbox, the difficulty was to increase the regeneration (battery recharge) in braking, with the feeling of compression braking, also known as “engine braking”, a technique often used to slow down a car with this type of Gearbox by reducing gear and without using the brakes. ” We finally got proficiency, "says Saul," it looks like you're driving a V8." He tells that drivers who have tested the manual gearbox version of GXE say they are surprised at how "normal" it feels to drive it. High praise.
The car will also feature active suspension of the Dynamic Stability Control system, as Saul says the GXE's prototypes have a different weight distribution than the standard Corvette, which is close to 50/50 from front to rear. Currently, cars have a 55/45 layout, but the CEO reveals that production vehicles will be closer to a more optimal 50/50 division.
Some countries are thinking about making electric cars produce noise, so that pedestrians can hear them arriving at lower speeds. Saul says he plans to include "five or six different sounds that the vehicle can emit" through the audio system that can mimic engine noise, such as a V8, V12 or a science fiction type sound. Above 64 km / h, when the noise of the tires is loud enough, the artificial sound would disappear if the driver wanted.



Luxurious Interior
With a complete redesign of the power train, some internal changes will also be part of GXE. A larger touch screen than Tesla cars will replace the console and controls, and a custom measurement screen will appear behind the wheel. Such equipment will allow the driver to control the vehicle in different steering parameters, including lane modes, power steering level, traction control, regeneration level and propulsion power levels. It also interacts with the new flat panel instrument panel.

The audio system will also have a makeover “ " upgraded to the highest quality Harman components, tuned by the brand's best tuners,” says Saul. "Harman plans to benchmark with the best stereos in the world and wants it to be one of the most efficient.”

Photos of the interior of the cars in pre-production show a sumptuous environment with soft touch surfaces throughout. Saul says the inner parts will be lined with "Alcantara, leather and carpet of the highest quality"” A custom suitcase set made by Lotuff Leather will also be included.

Obviously, Genovation will be happy to work with owners on any specific requests they have for their vehicles.

Why the Corvette?
Genovation's choice of using the Corvette chassis as the electric dream body may seem like a strange choice for such a supercar; after all, there are far more exotic options on the market. However, Saul says the Corvette C7 has some advantages-and a nostalgia value. “I like the fact that I present the seven-speed manual transmission” " he said. "This is the last of the corvettes with rear-wheel drive and front engine available with a manual transmission and I think that makes it special. I feel comfortable and confident that we will find a happy home for the GXEs we will build.”

Bill Roberson