How to make your EV conversion engaging

We hear it every day: electric vehicles are very fast, very efficient, cheaper to maintain; the future is here. As true as this might be, there’s something missing: soul. Not everyone is into EVs, and the main reason seems to be almost unanimous amongst enthusiasts: they are boring. I tend to disagree in general, since, as an engineer, I find them fun and engaging in very different ways than ICE powered vehicles. I like their smoothness, the cleverness behind noise masking (since there’s no combustion pulses), the various ways in which torque is filtered as to avoid snapping axles with such immediate and high torque, the intelligent torque split in multi-motor EVs, even planning charging stops on long road trips. But these things are engaging to me as an engineer since I make a living analyzing exactly those systems and features, not because they are engaging per se for the general enthusiast community.

What makes a car engaging, then? I think the industry has figured it out, as I’ll try to convey in this article, but making a modern enthusiast car isn’t as simple as it might seem to some people. Regulations, overall market behavior and safety standards have become priority, and rightfully so, in order to protect consumers, provide them with the most value, and, yes, create shareholder value. As ironic as that last statement might seem, it’s true: a corporation that sells vehicles at a mass scale cannot survive if investors don’t put their money into it, and they won’t unless they get more money back than what they originally put in, right? That’s shareholder value!

So, what should an enthusiast do? Well, I think some OEMs are doing the best they can to provide enthusiasts with great products even under today’s market and regulatory constraints (there are many examples of this, thankfully), and some other OEMs even exist only to provide these types of experiences (Ferrari?), but I think us DIY enthusiasts can and should take control of some of our desire for engagement.

What makes a car engaging?

Mechanical Feedback

One of the most engaging aspects of driving a car is the feedback you get from the machine. From the accelerator pedal response, to the mechanical sound and feel of shifting gears on a manual transmission, to the weight of the steering wheel on different surfaces and driving conditions, these characteristics make the vehicle feel special. If you’ve ever heard that BMWs have a very numb steering feel, then you understand what we’re talking about here.

Sound

The most important aspect of an engaging car is, hands down, the sound it makes. Or sounds. Exhaust note is one of the most important aspects in an ICE-powered car, but it isn’t the only thing. Tire noise, suspension sounds and even certain cabin rattles make the experience more or less enjoyable. Engine sound, apart from exhaust note, is also critical. I make the distinction between engine sound and exhaust because it’s not always about a loud exhaust, or a particular exhaust note, it’s also the rotating components, firing order, and intake sound. My Civic Si had a horrible exhaust note, but the engine’s sound was very enjoyable, particularly when that VTEC kicked in.

Vehicle Dynamics

The notion of old, long vehicles driving like boats is not that far-fetched. They do drive as though floating on water. Body roll was crazy, squatting and diving under acceleration seemed excessive, but comfort was unmatched. On the other hand, a modern Mini Cooper is like driving an oversized go kart: nimble, quick to turn, and planted under most driving conditions. The characteristics that make up what we call ‘Vehicle Dynamics’ help define the vehicle’s mission, and with it, its character. You wouldn’t want a high-powered car that drives like a boat, unless you’re into Hellcats.

Emotional Connection

This is what it all boils down to for me: emotional connection. I’ve had the privilege of owning different cars throughout my lifetime, from cheap shit boxes to decent “luxury sedans”, but the ones I have enjoyed the most possess certain characteristics that make them very special to me. For one, the vehicle has to be part of my life: road trips, adventures and friendships are made, shared or experienced aplenty with or around this machine. The second most important is working on it myself. Whether maintenance or repairs, the effort, care and frustration involved in keeping the car in mint condition helps me bond with it. I don’t develop this emotional attachment to a car whenever it only serves as A to B transportation, has a warranty, and needs nothing from me.

An engaging EV conversion

Making an EV conversion engaging requires manipulating the things we talked about above in such a way that it becomes an activity to drive it, not an afterthought. We want to make it more like riding a horse: it requires skill to read into the horse’s behavior, to know what it might do next, to know how to act such that it in turn reacts in an expected manner. EVs are so advanced and so toned down in this regard that we know we can step on the accelerator pedal and it goes, step on the brakes and it stops, engage some level of autonomous driving and it will basically take us where we’re going. That is not the case with true engaging vehicles.

We want to hear the motor spinning, we want to hear some tire noise, to feel some steering feedback. The accelerator pedal is not only a control surface for altering vehicle speed, it’s also a portal into weight distribution, traction feel, and sometimes unexpected behaviors that require your full attention. Shifting gears is optional, but highly rewarding in many cases. Even quick shifting automatic transmissions have a high level of engagement under the right circumstances. A car might need to be uncomfortable in order to feel engaging. Maybe Recaro bucket seats are not ideal for long road trips, but they do a hell of a job for late night city cruising with the boys. Engagement comes from NOT being able to drive a car if you’re texting or looking for the right song on your Apple CarPlay deck; the car should demand your full attention.

So, with these thoughts I would encourage you to think deep about this question: how do we make an EV conversion that’s engaging? Converting a car is one thing and that is the most engaging part of this whole community, but once it’s converted, how do we make it remarkably fun?

NOTE: There’s also a fine line between engaging, DIY and unsafe. We do NOT want to surf that line. We do not want engagement to come from the adrenaline of not knowing if the car will stop, or if the car might catch on fire. This isn’t a rally race in the 70s. We’re talking about a vehicle that might be driven on public roads, with innocent bystanders that do not care about your enthusiasm but about making it home to their families. So please do not come here with those “adrenaline makes it fun” or “unreliable is engaging” bullshit stories. That’s the equivalent of “street takeovers are car culture”. They are not. Be a responsible DIYer, please.