Starting with the 2021 Tire Rack SCCA Chicago Champ Tour event May 21-23, competitors will be able to compete with electric vehicles in the new Electric Vehicles Experimental (EVX) provisional class.
Just approved by the Solo Events Board, the class is set to draw its rules from “Street and Street Touring with the intention of choosing common-sense allowances to balance streetability …
I'm going to predict some flaw that nerfs the Tesla a lot.
Also, LOL. They listed the Tesla models so they say sexy
It's all fun and games until a rule is passed that reclasses subscription based vehicle aids. Then BMW drivers also become miffed.
I for one welcome our new RC ProAm overlords.
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
Lmfao man. True
Street Touring EV. Sounds like a cool class, esp. for the M3 Performance.
lol Bolt and Leaf. Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight.
In reply to ProDarwin :
There's a handful of people that autocross their Bolt to major success. Don't count the Bolt out.
The Leaf, on the other hand...
hunter47 said:In reply to ProDarwin :
There's a handful of people that autocross their Bolt to major success. Don't count the Bolt out.
The Leaf, on the other hand...
Not running heads up against a M3P though. In stock form the bolt is an underdog HS car, the M3P is realistically an AS car. That's a big difference to start with, I have to imagine the M3 can fit a bunch more wheel and tire under it than the bolt, much bigger aftermarket for suspension parts, etc.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Seems more like bringing a banana to a gun fight!
It seems to me that mode of propulsion is not sufficient for determining classification.
It is kinda funny that this class exists because the EVs were beating up on the ICE cars, not to give them a place to play where they can be slow without being embarassed. My, how things have changed.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Likewise, look at the Pikes Peak records.
Yeah, we thought that Loeb run was going to stand for years. It was so much faster than anything that had been done before and now it's been completely demolished.
Keith Tanner said:It is kinda funny that this class exists because the EVs were beating up on the ICE cars, not to give them a place to play where they can be slow without being embarassed.
I don't think that's really the case. It's more that they don't really gel with a rules and classing structure built around ICE cars. The thing that did in the model 3s in street class was the over the air updates and the classing system not being able to move quickly enough to keep up with the potential for basically randomly implemented performance updates. Add in the fact that you end up with 4000+lb awd sedans competing with ~3000lb rwd sports cars, that creates some big course/condition based swings in competitive balance which isn't really good for anyone involved.
The Model 3 is classed in the top class despite being a 4000+ lb sedan. I'd call that beating up on the ICE cars.
There's no technical reason ICE cars couldn't have over the air updates and performance increases. Ford could theoretically push out an extended overboost feature to the Focus RS, for example, or an improved traction management system. There have been updates to the Corvette magnetoshocks from what I understand. It's only going to become more common, and of course an OTA update is not fundamentally any different than a factory recall that involves reflashing the PCM or even a new catalytic converter installed under a recall. Segregating EVs into a different class because some of them can currently evolve spontaneously overnight isn't going to solve that problem.
Also, we went through this when the Tesla got bumped to the top class. It's pretty interesting to revisit.
Oh hi. I'm back. Looks like finally some progress even though I agree they don't need to be in a special class
Still waiting for that theoretical OTA update that was touted 2 years ago as the reason to move all 3's to SS though lol
At least I have somewhere to run now with coilovers that's not ASP or XSA
In reply to Keith Tanner :
They probably won't push for OTA updates for ICE vehicles, because that is something they can charge repair facilities $150+ a shot for. What Tesla does with OTA updates is, oddly enough, like Nikola Tesla's idea for broadcasting electric power for free to anyone who wanted it...
Does this let us run electric motor swaps anywhere?
In reply to SK360 :
The update was the one that removed traction control on a gs classed tesla. The car was classed based on undefeatable traction control.
The model 3 is still setting top pax times in ss at events near me. It is a threat for top overall time if the mod cars don't show up. Now it can run in ss or evx on street tires and asp or sm on hoosiers.
In reply to ojannen :
What update was that? Dyno mode? They disabled it a week later after people knotted up their cars, it also disabled the rear brakes functioning as an E-Diff so it wasn't really an advantage. Hasn't come back in 2 years
No doubt they're fast but I got beat up on by a 2 driver GT3 in SS all last season. There's just not much you can do with 4100lbs, no camber and 8.5" wide wheels.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:In reply to Keith Tanner :
They probably won't push for OTA updates for ICE vehicles, because that is something they can charge repair facilities $150+ a shot for. What Tesla does with OTA updates is, oddly enough, like Nikola Tesla's idea for broadcasting electric power for free to anyone who wanted it...
Oh, OTA updates are already here for some ICE vehicles. It's a lot cheaper for the manufacturer than having to pay a dealer to plug a laptop into a car and they can be sure the update was done. Just think of Mazda's little whoopsie with the overaggressive anti-collision braking last year. Every one of those cars had to make the trek to a dealer to get new software uploaded at Mazda's cost. You can bet they'd have loved to do an OTA update.
The weird thing Tesla does is the constant improvement. Why were the power boost and range improvements just given away instead of being held as NEW FOR 2020!!! features? Why were they free? They weren't bug fixes, they were genuine improvements in areas people weren't really complaining about to start with. This isn't an OTA thing, that's just the method of delivery. They could be doing exactly the same thing even if it required a dealer visit.
They do have the ability to charge for OTA updates. The "acceleration boost" is an option you can purchase via the Tesla app and have delivered magically. No different than going to Volvo and paying for the waranteed Polestar power upgrade on a C30. That didn't cause a fuss at the SCCA because, well, the C30 probably wasn't beating up on high level autox cars at the time. The only difference is that it's just more convenient.
The warranteed upgrade for the volvo (or similar for srt-4 and cobalt ss, both of which were competitive at some point, also see focus st) is considered just that... An upgrade, this it is not legal for stock (excuse me, street) classes. The Tesla purchase is no different. I do wonder how they can check for that. The automatic push is a big difference though.
If Ford, Gm, or Dodge had pushed those upgrades over the air, I bet things would be a lot different.
That said, other weird things happen, like a manufacturer listing crash bolts as approved in the FSM can suddenly make a camber challenged car significantly faster.
On the Tesla, I'll bet it is displayed on the car info on The Big Screen, which would make it a lot easier to confirm than the Volvo tune. If someone would like to send me $2000, I'll buy it and let you know :)
Agreed, there is a difference between a purchased factory upgrade and one that just happens by itself. But mostly the example was for the mechanism. I'll bet there's been at least one example of unlocked performance with a factory update. I just don't know of one specifically.
Vajingo said:Also, LOL. They listed the Tesla models so they say sexy
Someone pointed this out to Musk on twitter recently when they noticed the S, model 3, X, Y, Cybertruck, ATV, Roadster, and Semi all came out to "S3XY CARS." He admitted he'd been waiting years for that.
What I find interested is the wild variations in performance that the electric cars will all bring. The Fisker Karma was pretty but not very fast. Other cars in that list are also, well, slow. The Model S Performance is heavy, but with wider wheels mentioned in the rules that will help, and in ludicrous model it'll do 0-60 in 2.2 seconds. What about the new one, the Plaid version? 0-60 in under 2 seconds and 1100hp. That's in the same class as a Bolt. Perhaps the "experimental" part of this class is to ultimately see what needs to be classed where?
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