Get Ad-Free Access: Just $39/year

President Biden and the First Electric Corvette

GM CEO Mary Barra Promises President Biden Will Be First to Drive an All-Electric Corvette

During a press conference earlier this week, U.S. President Joe Biden made a significant announcement regarding the future of the automobile industry – or more specifically, the Electric Vehicle (EV) segment of that industry.  In an effort to effect new legislation designed to improve vehicle emissions, President Biden signed an executive order which states that by 2030, fifty-percent of all new cars sold in the United States will produce zero emissions.  Many of the automotive industry’s top leadership was present for the President’s announcement including GM CEO Mary Barra.  During his speech, the President acknowledged Barra and the work being done by GM, then shared an interesting conversation that he shared with her.

“I’ve got a commitment from Mary Barra, when they make the first electric Corvette, I get to drive it,” Biden said. “You think I’m kidding, I’m not kidding.”

President Biden, a self professed automotive enthusiast and Corvette owner (he has a 1967 C2 Corvette), previously announced in August 2020 that Chevrolet was developing an all-new electric Corvette and that it would be able to do 200 miles per hour.  Although his claim seemed to indicate that he had some inside knowledge about the future of the Corvette, no timetable was provided for when/if an electric Corvette would be unveiled by the American manufacturer.

During Biden’s announcement, the president was surrounded by several electrified vehicles, including the upcoming 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup, and the plug-in hybrid 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe.

Could the 2023 Corvette Z06 Be the First All-Electric Corvette?

2023 Corvette Z06
2023 Corvette Z06

Chevrolet has confirmed that the “all-new” 2023 Corvette Z06 will be revealed this fall.   Although they’ve gone to great lengths to keep information about the new super-car variant of their mid-engine flagship a secret, there has been some speculation that the new Z06 could be the first all-electric Corvette in the history of the brand.

General Motors had previously announced it planned to introduce 30 new EVs by 2025. To date, they’ve only revealed a few, select examples, including: the GMC Hummer EV pickup, the Hummer EV SUV, the Cadillac Lyriq SUV and an all-electric version of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

On Monday, Chevrolet released a teaser trailer for their new 2023 Z06 Corvette. It featured the roar of the car’s engine,  and provided a driver’s perspective from the cockpit of the car on both a racetrack and on the open road.  The video ended with the tagline, “The streets will never sound the same.”

There has been some speculation that the tagline’s claim that “the streets will never sound the same” could be GM offering a hint at the creation of an all-electric Corvette.  Chevrolet also offered the following statement: “This fall, the story will continue with the reveal of the all-new 2023 Corvette Z06, the supercar that will put the world on notice.”

In August 2020, President Joe Biden talked about his love of cars, especially his Corvette, then made the statement: “They tell me that GM is making an all-electric version of the iconic sports car that will go 200 mph.”  An individual close to the Corvette program confirmed that Chevrolet does have plans to build an all-electric version of the Corvette, but no additional information has been provided.

Special thanks to the “Detroit Free Press” and “the Hill” for the information contained in this article.