Chevy's Futuristic eCOPO Concept

Camaros have always been known for their power, but that power has always come from the massive gasoline engine under the hood. Until now, the idea of an electric Camaro that could provide comparable power wasn’t fathomable to most. Chevy has just proved car lovers wrong, however, by unveiling their concept for the eCOPO electric Camaro. Let’s take a closer look at this new concept and see how long it will take until it becomes a reality.

Introducing the eCOPO

From the outside, this car looks like any other Camaro. It’s been dubbed the eCOPO after the 1960s Copo Camaro special edition, but other than the E in front of the name, you might not be able to differentiate it from any other Camaro at your local Chevy dealership. There’s even a COPO Camaro with a gasoline engine being released for the 2019 model year, making it even harder to tell the difference. That is, at least, until you look under the hood. This concept is equipped with two electric motors that generate a respectable total of 700 horsepower. Such a design makes it more powerful than the 2019 ZL1 Camaro, which can generate 650 horsepower with its internal combustion engine. The eCOPO will get better gas mileage and generate more power, but if you’re interested in a 2019 ZL1, just keeping up with your tire pressure and oil changes can help improve its gas mileage. This car is capable of completing a quarter mile in nine seconds. Instead of relying on one 800-volt battery pack like most electric cars, the battery is split into four different 200-volt packs that are strategically placed throughout the vehicle. A single battery pack in the bottom of the car might lower the car’s center of gravity, but having two batteries under the rear seats and two in the trunk moves the weight toward the rear of the car, giving it more traction on the drag strip. Relocating the battery pack was actually the brainchild of Hancock and Lane, a company that specializes in electric car drag racing and helped the team at Chevy design the eCOPO concept.

Off-the-Shelf Parts

These components are not newly designed parts that are being used in the eCOPO concept — most of the items being used to create the pair of high-performance electric motors under the hood are built with off-the-shelf parts that already exist. The engine provides power to an off-the-shelf Turbo 400 automatic transmission, making it more compatible with existing car technology. In theory, you could pull your Camaro’s internal combustion engine out and replace it with an electric motor once these concepts make it to the assembly line. It’s also been built with the help of high school students from the automotive technology program Bothell High School in Seattle. There is currently no word about when these concepts will be available for purchase, but the car was showcased at this year’s SEMA show, and more information can be found on the show’s website. We’re looking forward to seeing this electric muscle car become a reality, especially since it’s been designed for the drag strip.