Conventional cars require air, fuel, compression and spark to create power. Adding in more fuel and air generates more engine output. On the other hand, electric cars depend on electric motors that require current and magnetic force. When opting for electric motor tuning in a car, stronger magnetic force and more current result in increased power output.
Understanding Electric Motor
As electric motors are the core component of electric cars, to understand how electric motor tuning works in car, we need to delve a bit into the working of electric motors.
A standard alternating current (AC) electric motor consists of two parts, stator and rotor. The stator is the stationary part, which is basically a magnet wrapped with copper coils. The rotor is the rotating part that moves the shaft to generate mechanical power.
When alternating current is supplied to the electric motor, the copper coil around the combination of magnets generates the magnetic field that forces the rotor to move and drive the shaft.
Electric Motor Tuning For Performance
Electric motor tuning in a car revolves around its core components to generate more power, including battery, inverter and electric motor.
Battery
The rate at which the battery discharges the current to the electric motor is dependent on the fact how much power it can produce. Battery capable of delivering more voltage, results in more power in an electric motor.
However, creating such power also leads to heat production. Hence, one of the key factors to longer battery life is managing the heat and temperature. This in turn limits the manufacturers as they opt to achieve a better balance.
Evidently, more research is needed to increase the battery capacity effectively including its capability to densely store power and produce less heat.
Inverter
Batteries are designed to supply direct current (DC). Since electric motors operate on alternating current, inverters act as the interface to convert DC into AC power. The performance of the inverter is based on the conversion rate for the current. In short, the faster the switching rate, the more will be the potential for power.
Inverters are normally designed to operate with certain electric motors. However, the variety of inverters in the aftermarket allows the user to configure the specs for most electric motors.
Electric Motor
To understand the tuning process, electric motor overhaul is necessary to learn its functioning. The electric motor faces its own set of limitations when it comes to creating more power. Resistance in wires, as well as the generation of heat, is one factor in limiting its power generation capacity.
In order to spin the motor faster with more current, it needs to cool down additional heat for optimum performance. For instance, consider the configuration of rotor and stator in electric motors. The closer the rotor magnet is to the stator, the rotor will rotate more efficiently and generate more torque.
However, the spinning rotor at high rpm can cause it to expand and may lead to contact with the stator. Hence air gap or mechanical clearance is needed between the rotor and stator. In short a balance is needed for the gap between rotor and stator against the rpm we want to achieve.
Most options for tuning electric motors in a cars are highly dependent on the hardware of the car. This is possibly a similarity when comparing with internal combustion engines. Some limitations require better innovative cooling mechanisms to generate more power.
For instance, replacing your stock battery with a higher voltage battery may increase the overall power provided the rest of the system can handle boosted performance and heat.
Components of electric cars rely on computer sensors to operate at optimum efficiency. As software access becomes easier, we will have access to more tweaking and tuning options to modify factory settings. In addition to its tuning, find out more about electric car maintenance to add items to your electric motor inspection checklist and keep it in an ideal condition.
There is doubt that the future is geared towards electric vehicles. In fact Europe has planned to ban the production of petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Explore your options with used electric cars for sale in the UAE:
However, if electric cars are not your cup of tea, you can always buy a used car in the UAE.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blogs for more information on car parts, market trends and automotive technology.
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