Tuning electric cars

"Thank you for reading our tips on tuning EV's"

Handling wise the same principles apply, suspension mods geometry etc... The car is heavier usually because of the batteries.

So add some weight reduction measures and you'll make the cars handling acceleration and braking improve.

But is it possible to increase the power of an electric car?

Thankfully it is, although a totally new field, possible to make it faster and more pleasant to drive, so we shall look at the best mods for the new generation of cars.

It is worth noting that some electric car makers are voiding warrantees, limiting charge and restricting their service if onboard protection detects it has been tampered with (even so called undetectable systems have been detected).

We certainly do not condone this, it's been similar to a host of other equipment and modification and improvement is rarely a cause for malfunction and we are sure if pressed in court manufacturers will have to prove that a mod has caused damage or a problem should they void a warranty but this is currently untested as far as EV's go.

When tuning an Electric vehicle for more power you focus on the following areas

Battery upgrades

Increase the battery capacity, and perhaps even running a slightly higher voltage will release more power.

The car management computer (CMC) will generally decide on the power distribution for each motor, and will look at range, battery temperature and current demand from the driver to calculate this.

Alterations to the CMC is possible and you can bypass this, an alternative would be to intercept the sensors and send back false signals so it doesn't cut power or is forced to over power.

Heat build up and lower range are the issues you'll have here.

It's not unheard of for batteries to be swapped out from more efficient makers. For example, Tesla batteries are very well designed, from the case which aids cooling to the electrodes/electrolytes formulated. Battery tech will always improve, offering more dense storage of power and lower issues with heat. As batteries age they degrade, although clever charge discharge management has prolonged them.

Battery technology is rapidly evolving, and we are seeing increased capacities, longer life spans, and cooler running with better reliability.

TIP: You can prolong the life of your battery by avoiding fast charging every time, and only charging to 80% capacity. It is repeated fast charging and holding t at 100% charge that causes the batteries to degrade.

Electric motors

Electric motors sit at the heart of an EV and are much simpler than a combustion engine, with far fewer parts.

Adding additional motors to each wheel or both axles (Depending on the configuration of the car) will give twice the grunt of the original setup.

Some electric car makers specify different models and power ranges, and this is generally a function of the number of motors they have.

If a model can come with 2 or 4 motors and you only have half of this fitted you can bet there is space to retrofit the motor(s) and subject to wiring and management changes, can be made to work.

We have heard of one enterprising Tesla owner tricking it's CMC into thinking it had an extra motor and this enabled the Ludicrous mode!

Obviously, power wouldn't be up the level of a true multi motor model, but will exceed the standard model.

Additionally adding more powerful motors will help. As more EV's hit the road there will be a vast array of electric motors to choose from, with, we predict a ready aftermarket in upgraded motors.

All those manufacturers of alternators and brush /brushless electric motors can seize an opportunity here as there existing sources of business dry up.

Having stronger magnets and different windings, from different grades and formulations of copper will produce more power.

Car computer management

If you can access the management you can usually bypass some of the safeguards to extract more power.

As with all cars, manufacturers trim power output to meet reliability and warranty requirements, and are usually overcautious.

It's not unheard of for an EV maker to release a car, get the car insurance graded and then release a software update later on that increases the power.

Battery life may be reduced, range may suffer but you'll get more power.

As modern electric cars are computerised, you'll need a different skill set to tune and modify them and most manufacturers protect, encrypt or obfuscate the management setup in the computer to make it harder.

Given time, most car management units can be cracked and tweaked.

Inverter modifications

The inverter takes the batteries DC current and switches this to an AC (alternating current) for the motor.

In it's simplest form, the faster the motor spins, the faster the switching rate for the AC current. Pulses need to vary according to load, and voltage peaks need to be consistent and strong.

The higher the frequency the more potential power can be released from the motor.

There are optimum switching rates for each motor, but we can safely assume that manufacturers don't look to go beyond a safe economical setting so there is nearly always scope for improvement.

Battery cooling

If you can keep the batteries cooler you stand a chance of getting more power as most EV's are setup to cut power output when the batteries heat up.

Air cooling, water cooling and changes to heat sink design can all help with this.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Engine Mods, EV tuning, Tuning. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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