Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro 700HP EV Drag Racer Concept Promises Electrifying Performance
Chevrolet rolled out the refreshed 2019 Camaro a few months back that brought new options and a new front end to market. Chevy is at SEMA 2018 with a Camaro concept car not meant for the street but meant for the drag strip. The car is called the eCOPO Camaro Race Car Concept, and it is a fully electric drag racer.
Chevy's eCOPO Camaro Concept can run the quarter mile in the 9-second range; the car was developed by GM and built in partnership with an electric drag racing team called Hancock and Lane Racing. The concept is based on the 2019 COPO Camaro, but the big V8 in that racing car was ditched in favor of an all-electric drivetrain.
The eCOPO has an electric motor generating more than 700hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor used is based on a pair of BorgWarner HVH 250-150 motor assemblies that each generate 300 lb-ft of torque. The power the electric motor generates goes through a conventional race-prepped turbo 400 automatic transmission that sends torque to a solid rear axle used in the production COPO Camaro racing cars.
Power for the electric motor comes from an all-new 800V battery pack that allows for more efficient power transfer and supports fast recharging. Chevy says that the charging system must be fast due to the limited time to charge between elimination rounds in a drag racing event. The battery pack uses four 200V modules that each weigh about 175 pounds. Those packs are mounted inside the car in a manner to give it optimal weight distribution.
Since drag racers tend to want more weight in the rear of the car to aid traction, a pair of the modules are located in the rear seat area, and two more are in the trunk with one sitting in the spare tire well and another over the rear axle. The racer's roll cage was modified to provide extra protection for the battery packs in the rear of the car. Chevy says that this car "suggests" a potential new avenue for the Chevy crate engine and performance parts portfolio, however, there is no indication that the eCOPO concept will enter normal production.
