The democratization of electric horsepower is upon us. You don’t really have to be an engineering nerd anymore to get a rack of batteries and an electric motor to power your project car. The good folks at EV West have devised a way to simplify the EV swap process, and it’s here in their new Revolt “crate motor”, complete with Tesla drive unit, custom gear reduction box, and an output flange to make your life a whole hell of a lot easier.
Usually, when you swap in a Tesla drive unit, you’re putting it in the car as a whole subframe unit as Tesla does, with the motors arranged in a transverse layout powering each rear wheel with a halfshaft. That requires a shitload of engineering, as you have to devise suspension pickup points, and probably cut out and replace the entire back half of your car. This kit allows the Tesla motor to plop into the engine compartment of any old Chevrolet, bolt in to the stock motor mounts, and power the standard stick axle at the back. What more could you ask for?
Here’s what EV West had to say about it in a recent Facebook post:
Ready for a Tesla drive in your V8 muscle car? We have you covered. Our new Revolt Tesla crate motor mounts to your small block motor mounts and attaches directly to your driveshaft allowing you to use your existing rear axle. A huge time and money saver, and allow you to change gear ratios in your third member.
This is exactly the kind of shit I love to see. Electric power to the people, man! I’d love to slam one of these in something fun but otherwise uninspiring, like a C3 Corvette or an FD RX-7, they have small block swaps figured out for those cars, why not Tesla swaps? This could be the modern day LS-swap replacement that us EV nerds have been begging for for a long damn time.
No word yet on how much it’ll cost, but figure in the low five-figures. That might seem like a lot, but consider how much a fresh 500 horsepower engine costs! Hell, my 100 horsepower Porsche 912E engine rebuild cost in that ballpark, so I know this could be a value to some great swap candidates.
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