Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE), in collaboration with Paragon Performance, has achieved a major milestone in the automotive industry. The company is the first to successfully supercharged a C8 Corvette E-Ray and fully integrate supercharged LT2 with the E-Ray’s electric front drive system.

LPE is known for its engineering excellence on late-model GM platforms and has been leading the way for aftermarket C8 Corvette performance development and system integration since the car’s release in 2020. However, building a supercharged E-Ray posed a new challenge with many potential unknown hurdles.

The project came together when Paragon Performance, a member of the Lingenfelter Authorized Installer network, inquired about putting a supercharger on one of their best customers’ new E-Ray. Stephen, a long-standing customer of Paragon, was able to get one of the early E-Rays, build number 36 to be exact, and wanted his to be the first to receive a MAGNUSON Supercharger.

Because the E-Ray is a hybrid vehicle, if you don’t look closely it could be mistaken for the C8 Stingray.

After several meetings between Paragon, Stephen, and LPE, the project was given the green light. “Being the first is always risky,” said Mark Rapson COO/VP Operations for Lingenfelter. “Few had even seen an E-Ray and very little was known about how the EV and ICE systems interface, so making modifications and keeping all systems functioning correctly was unchartered territory. Being the first meant setting expectations and outlining objectives, in the end, we were all clear, the E-Ray is a world-class car and all EV systems would need to remain functional and operating as they did pre-modification.” 

The team at LPE has developed a process using a proprietary engine/transmission cradle that makes removal of the C8’s drivetrain a smooth operation.

LPE started the process of upgrading the E-Ray by doing what they do best and removing the engine to take it to the engine room for a set of Lingenfelter-specced forged pistons from MAHLE, and a Lingenfelter C8 valve spring and pushrod upgrade. The engine then received the Lingenfelter MAGNUSON 2650 Stage 1 C8 Supercharger Package.

Before reinstalling the engine cradle into the car, some modifications to the heat exchanger system were required. Normally the C8 Stingray center tunnel area houses the reservoir tank for the supercharger system, however, in the E-Ray, the battery for the EV system takes up the entire tunnel area, so a custom tank was fabricated.

The next step was to dive into the electronics, and this is where TRIFECTA’s expertise shined. “The key to modifying and properly integrating power adders into today’s vehicles is electronics,” Rapson said. “And the E-Ray takes electronics to a new level. We work exclusively with TRIFECTA on the new Corvettes and all vehicles using GM’s Global B ECM/TCM architecture.” After unlocking the ECM, TRIFECTA performed a systems check to validate all the connections and integration with the EV system. The E-Ray’s electronics system carries additional channels of communication for the functionality of the EV regeneration, Stealth to ICE start-up, and shuttle mode. “It took TRIFECTA and Lingenfelter’s calibration team many hours to write the calibration code to properly integrate the new supercharged system into the E-Ray,” Rapson explained. 

This collaboration between Lingenfelter Performance Engineering and Paragon Performance has resulted in an industry first that both companies will build upon. “The E-ray is the pinnacle of C8 Corvette innovation to date,” remarked Rapson. “Sharing the same 6.2L engine as the C8 Stingray, the E-ray’s potential is limitless, particularly with the addition of dual electric AWD assist.” Upon receiving the E-Ray LPE strapped it to their in-house dyno to get a base output of 573 wheel-horsepower and 630 lb-ft of torque. Once the car was reassembled it returned to the dyno and achieved 734 wheel-horsepower and 792 lb-ft of torque thanks to the LPE MAGNUSON Supercharger package and LPE/TRIFECTA calibration. Not only have Rapson and his team at LPE successfully integrated their supercharger package with the E-Ray’s electric AWD system, but the rest of the car’s extensive electronics all function as they did before any modifications. 

“The car drove spectacularly with all functions of the car working as it left the factory,” Rapson said. The car was returned to Paragon Performance for some additional cosmetic upgrades, and soon the E-Ray will be on the track for real-world testing with official performance numbers. However, to give you a glimpse at what’s to come, during the drivability testing performed while the car was with LPE, Rapson informed us the supercharged E-Ray made 0-60 mph runs in the 2.0-second range using the car’s onboard performance system for recording data. Very impressive indeed. Now that LPE has proven the E-Ray’s electric AWD system will respond well to modifications to its 6.2L LT2 engine, hopefully, it won’t be long before we see a Lingenfelter-built E-Ray with the naturally aspirated Eliminator 427 cubic-inch LT2 or with an Eliminator Spec supercharged LT2. Until then we’ll keep an eye on the Paragon Performance E-Ray to see how it performs on the track.