Will Electric Cars Kill Tuning?
A Short Article
The eventual takeover of electric cars at this point looks inevitable; so it's time to look at how "petrolheads" or "gearheads" will adapt to a future without petrol or gears, and how we'll have to change our passion. Many people have rightly asked the question, "well how can you modify an electric car?" A good question, and while there is a fairly obvious answer; Yes. It's unfortunately not the entire story.
The problem is somewhat obvious, the engine, where so much of modification is focused, is not present. Without the engine, all of this is chucked out the window. Beyond remapping the motors to produce more power there are not many options to make the car faster. Compared to a traditional combustion engine which has many thousands of parts that can be swapped out to increase the power output. It seems that one of the main selling points for electric powertrains; simplicity, is the main contributor to its biggest drawbacks in the eyes of petrolheads, being boring. It could also be difficult for those used to working on combustion engines to learn a new skill set, especially one focused on what is normally the worst part of tuning; fixing the wiring. On top of this, some manufacturers put electronic locks on cars to prevent third-party mechanics from working on the car, forcing owners to go to the dealership. This has the side effect of preventing enthusiasts from tinkering.
On the other hand, if you can get the car unlocked, and know what you're doing, there are some potential power mods. The cooling efficiency of the motor, inverter speed and battery size all limit the amount of horsepower a motor can produce. After this, you can of course completely swap the motor out, or potentially add motors to convert a car to all-wheel drive.
There are still all of the traditional non-engine modifications e.g. suspension and wheels, available, so this aspect of tuning will stay pretty much the same, although the added weight of batteries may cause the price of coilovers to increase as they need to be sturdier.
So it looks like tuning won't die out, mostly. The harsh reality is that some of our favorite companies, especially those with a focus on things like turbochargers and other engine components will struggle to survive in their current form. Tuning may also become less popular as I for one, although still glad tuning will survive, just don't feel the same enjoyment when thinking about improving the cooling system on my car to increase power, as when I think of fitting a supercharger. This lack of excitement will limit the appeal of electric tuning. And is something that unfortunately I don't see a solution to.
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Comments (7)
I would keep an ICE car just for the exhaust note, just not the same in electric cars
Same here
That's a great topic! Come to think of it, how would you actually tune an EV? Maybe adding some capacitors and tweaking the inverters to discharge them for added boost? And that's if the electric motor can take it (manufacturers will surely leave some overhead for reliability reasons). Is this a possible direction?
Cars will always be modified. It’s just human nature to be faster. But the technicians will be electricians, not mechanics.
Share your opinions in the comments
Does anyone else feel the same way as I do, or do you feel that you will enjoy modding electric cars just as much as before?