In 1992 Motorola designed and built a prototype of an electric Chevrolet Corvette. It wasn’t until recently that we were aware of the existence of this project.
We live in a time when hybrid and electric cars are the order of the day. It’s not unusual for mobile phone manufacturers to lag behind in the development of some models now, without Xiaomi going much further. But if I told you that one already was Motorola is trying to make an electric car In the early 90s of the last century?
No, this is not a joke. Collected on the driveThere is a private collector north of the Chicago metropolitan area 1987 Chevrolet Corvette “Electrified” by Motorola In 1992. Today we are not surprised by mobile phone manufacturers, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s this was unheard of.
It’s this electric Chevrolet Corvette from the early 90s
Motorola launched an electric car in 1992 Photo: Kevin Williams/The Drive
The car belongs to a man named Larry Brosten, who owns a local auto dealership You’d think that, for the car of its time, it’s a simple gasoline Corvette equipped in a special way. It’s not an event, it’s a 100% electric car Which, it seems, is a prototype built by an American firm.
Although there are plenty of photographs of the car, the hood can be opened and its design and its gasoline brethren can be compared. It is important to mention This Corvette does not work. As it was collected, the batteries were damaged after the car spent a winter outdoors thanks to the previous owner.
From the outside the car looks perfectly normal, but the differences become apparent when a trained eye takes a closer look before opening the hood. For example, Letter “EL” on license plate Indicate that it is an electric car. Today, as we used to, it is very common to see these characters. More than 30 years ago, when electric cars They were prototypes put together by hobbyistsThey weren’t at all.
Open trunk with exposed battery Photo: Kevin Williams/The Drive
When the trunk is opened, we see that there are a series of metal boxes with “high voltage” stickers where there should be a place to store objects. You can see one in one of them Motorola Automotive Sticker.
As gathered, that battery is under the trunk of this Corvette Only there may not be many what’s in the car Sources venture that there are more on the ground and another four to six units under the hood (located at the back of the car), although a full search of the car does not appear to have been conducted.
A detail that draws attention to the preservation condition of this car is The charging port is removed and the cables are quickly covered. However, the charging port would have moved to the same place where the fuel hose would be placed. This is similar to today’s electric cars.
A project that was not known about until recently
Photo of the back of the electric Corvette Photo: Kevin Williams/The Drive
According to sources, There is no information about this project. Not on the internet, not anywhere. The manufacturing and care with which these car parts were put together indicates that Motorola was serious about it.
There is a lot of technical documentation (probably aimed at electrical engineers) that is in the same place as the car, and according to the Corvette’s current owner. It wasn’t just the Motorola prototype for that date. Unfortunately, all clues end there.
Neither General Motors (maker of the Corvette), nor Motorola or Continental (maker of the tires) are familiar with the project. None of the parties concerned are aware of the existence This electric Corvette designed by Motorola.
We know nothing about how or for what purpose this car was built. We don’t know how the prototype was scrapped. For now, that’s all we know Its current owner wants to sell it. His intention is for it to become a museum property, so that it can be properly repaired and displayed.
