Futureproof: Next-Gen Jalopies
Deak and Dan Jardigan are among a growing number of families worldwide who are learning how to maintain and modify electric vehicles at home safely.
Future Narrative
Well, it finally happened. I got my first car! Working with Dad on it last Saturday was great. We audited all the electronics and created an upgrade plan together. That was half the fun. The range is way down now, given that this vehicle is a 2021 model with 274,000 miles. Mechanically, it is sound. The body is in great shape and had a wrap on it, so the paint looks amazing. Still, we’ve got to do something about the range. While we are at it, I would love to boost the power.
The prior owner planned to donate the battery pack to the Second Life Auxiliary Battery (SLAB) program to repurpose it as a home energy backup battery. Dad and I have some other ideas. I am looking forward to this project. It makes the things I learned in my electronics class much more relevant and tangible.
In March, we installed a Stage 1 Tesla Performance Enhancement Pack (PEP Pack), which restored the vehicle's original range.
We added the FLUX Performance Enhancement Pack (Grey Market PEP Pack) in August, dramatically enhancing acceleration.
The electric vehicle modification market is thriving. Many vehicles are experiencing a second life thanks to a mixture of OEM and third-party performance enhancements available for electric cars over six years old. A Tesla FLUX (Functional Line Upgrade-X) vehicle modification safety interface module is shown. This product has become a proven gateway for next-generation electric vehicle modifiers.
Implications
Improving the performance of that first car has been a time-honored tradition amongst auto enthusiasts. What does the future hold for weekend garage projects as we move into the new era of electric-powered automobility? Will the focus be on power, efficiency, torque, range extension, or perhaps all of the above? And with the right to repair access disputed by some electric vehicle manufacturers, will this even be possible? What does safe electric vehicle modification look like in the 21st century? What do OEM and third-party aftermarkets for electric vehicles look like? Will it be a spin-off SEMA community or be more like a new “home-brew” type of group from the early days when Jobs and Wozniak worked together?
Related Links
www.unpluggedperformance.com/
Futureproof is a series of occasional provocations illustrating possible future paths for technology and culture. Think postcards from the future.