(Photos: EV West)
There’s been a running theme with enthusiasts out there that you need to swap one of GM’s LS crate engines into absolutely anything. V-8 Miata? Hell yeah! How about V-8 swapping a Smart car? Some fiends out there have actually pulled that off too, the magnificent lunatics.
But what if you’re a performance fanatic of a different persuasion? What if, like TFL’s own Tommy Mica, you’ve become a fan of electric power? Thanks to the folks over at Revolt Systems, it’s easy-peasy to fit the engine bay where your small-block V-8 would typically live with the drive motor from a Tesla Model S.
Revolt says the modified drive unit is for sale “as a complete drop in package” (though some components to complete the drivetrain like the battery pack are sold separately). The end result is “a highly modified 400-kW Tesla Model S motor producing approximately 533 horsepower with over 800 lb-ft of torque at the yolk.”
In other words, exactly what you expect: Put a Tesla motor in your car or truck, and expect it to go like hell.
How much does it cost?
EV West is working with Revolt Systems to get these new kits out to customers. There is no mention of pricing on the small-block GM V-8 swap kit, though they do have more of a universal version of the kit on their site. That unit sets you back $11,900, and that’s without the custom gearing setup. The approach to make it bolt up in a small-block engine bay includes a longitudinal layout shown in the photos above (as opposed to the transverse layout Tesla uses).
Would you electric swap in place of a V-8? Let us know what you think in the comments!
