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Time to read 11 min
In the modern day, within automotive enthusiast circles, there are certain words and phrases one does not speak aloud without experiencing discomfort from those that wholeheartedly share the space with unbridled pride and joy. It is really not important to focus on a list that may be offensive or off-putting to all lovers of what is gas-powered and high performance, but to keep this article on message, there is one subject that must be brought into focus. When you are in a room filled with serious enthusiasts who have invested their lives and hard earned cash into something built for pure enjoyment and satisfaction it could be seen as obscene to introduce the possibilities of the Electric Vehicle (EV) joining the ranks as an accepted performance entity. According to many comments generated by social media, printed publication, or those expelled from the mouths of seasoned, old school car folks, the Electric Vehicle is a figurative "Trojan Horse" to the mighty gas-powered kingdom of the true automotive performance faithful. To those not familiar with Greek mythology, the famous tale described in both Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid depicts a large wooden horse built by the Greeks as both a gift to the goddess Athena and a stealthy weapon to defeat the strong city of Troy. The horse seemed to be an innocent wooden statue to the Trojans, but unfortunately was also a container filled with Greek soldiers ready to pounce on their unprepared opponents. When the horse was surprisingly presented at the gates of the city, the Trojans were not immediately alarmed and accepted the legitimate and underwhelming gift. But, when this seemingly harmless pony was brought inside the city gates, the Greeks began to emerge, overwhelmed the Trojan stronghold, captured the city, and brought an embarrassing defeat to this once strong army. Now, as enthusiasts, we all know that the introduction of the modern day Electric Vehicle, going as far back as the once mass-produced Sebring-Vanguard Comuta-Car (1974-1982), has been looked at with a lot of amusement, skepticism, and pure doubt due to its lack of personality, muscle, and customization potential. In the wake of all this frustration and financial pressure, the automobile's recreational appeal was beginning to rewind and thoughts of many reverted to an older time when it was seen just as practical transportation not an object of enjoyment. Those old enough to have lived through the oil crisis in the 1970s will remember the gas lines and the disappointment on the faces of car enthusiasts and drivers of big block muscle cars who thought the fun was over because wasting gas on anything but getting back and forth to work and being responsible was frowned upon.
After that frustrating and somewhat devastating crunch, a lot of focus was shifted to the planet, the future of the economy, and to alternatives that could serve both worlds and satisfy the masses. Some specific factions mixed with economists, ecologists, and government regulators were really excited to push the idea of a newly engineering vehicle - maybe a hybrid, or fully electric car - that could be injected into the consciousness of the average consumer, while not really caring about the fringe elements of auto enthusiasts that populate the lower percentages. Like with all things, the natural course of evolution continued at full steam as technology improved both our cultural creature comforts and the supportive components of our infrastructure including advancements in communication, food processing, and, most specifically, transportation. The automotive industry did begin to conquer issues with fuel economy, safety, and environmental friendliness all while remaining connected to the fossil fuel industry. In the world of the automotive enthusiast things were changing, evolving, and getting more challenging, but the beloved combustion engine along with its mechanical chariot was still something they could manipulate, enhance, and modify to fit whatever mold of enjoyment and pleasure they cherished outside the realm of the boring, more practical use of the automobile. By the beginning of the 1990s, issues that had been in hibernation had begun to percolate once again as the then, 20 year old California Air Resource Board (CARB) started to lobby for even lower to zero emission producing products putting pressure on automakers to re-invent the once humorous and unpopular Electric Vehicle. With almost two decades passing without a successful example of a fully electrified automobile available to consumers, California's Tesla was able to bring their 2008 Roadster to the table and within ten years would dominate this market share with almost 2.5 million in sales. Since this major shift in automotive technology, every major automaker on the planet has a fully electric offering for the consumer which has left the faithful lovers of gas-powered performance both frustrated and worried for the future. The Trojan horse has been pushed inside the walls of the kingdom once again. Some are doubtful that there will be carnage but only collaboration and peaceful alliance, but some believe the mythology and fear that death of a once great kingdom is around the corner. Should they keep the doors closed and push the horse back behind the gate, or fight and hope for victory? Either way, the EV is advancing and the world of the enthusiast cannot shed the vision of evil they see so clearly.
Over the past few years, Electric Vehicle development and production has steadily accelerated and taken the world by storm, more than many true enthusiasts would like to admit. According to industry reports generated by media outlets like Good Car Bad Car and others, Electric Vehicle sales have steadily increased bringing their share of new car purchases to approximately 18% as of 2023. As mentioned, since leaps in technology advancement have contributed to the stabilization and overall accessibility of this platform, government mandates and financial incentives have also made conversion to the EV world much more attractive to the average consumer and non-performance driver. With all these incentives and motivation to sway the public, we can see through advertisements and the pure evidence driving on our local streets that auto manufacturers are being driven to pollinate their product lines with an electric alternative making it very challenging and somewhat frustrating for the gasoline breathing enthusiasts to find as much love from the creators as they feel they deserve. If we were to look to history, like any other trend or happening, this increased popularity is on track to spawn and raise a growing, unique, and influential alter ego enthusiast community that faithfully follows the electric format for its evident performance abilities. This community preaches that Electric Vehicles can also be an exciting driving experience just from the pure, instantaneous power and speed they produce. EV enthusiasts praise the vehicle format for its high output of torque, low center of gravity, and constant power to confirm that it is just as exciting of a ride as what is offered by gasoline fueled counterparts. Electric performance cars and concept designs from Acura and Hyundai have already begun to light up pages of automotive magazines attracting the curiosity of young drivers and those who might not be exposed to the traditional internal combustion performance options which have dominated the enthusiast space for decades. To the old school enthusiast, one tidbit of gospel cannot be denied when comparing a gas-powered performer to an EV power plant, only one can provide a level of uniqueness, personality, and variety because of their fuel burning existence. It can also be confirmed by the faithful that between its differences in torque, power band, suspension, stance, sound, weight, and overall non-cookie cutter design, a great modified, high performance gas powered vehicle is one of a kind, making it the perfect expression of an automotive artist's creativity.
With all that being said, we must acknowledge that the advancements and impressive numbers that come from the Electric Vehicle world cannot be denied. This platform has experienced a meteoric rise to the stratosphere that no one, even the most brilliant analysts in the industry, could have expected. In an attempt to circle back and address the elephant in the room, the most important question posed to our fellow enthusiasts should be, "Will we be sharing space and even competing with the EV performance world on a common basis?" "Will advancements to the Electric Vehicle soon begin to surpass the performance potential of the internal combustion engine?" We cannot forget that during the 1940's, advanced aeronautics consisted of planes propelled by the most powerful gasoline fueled engines of the time which made aircraft including the German Bf 109 built by Messerschmitt, R.J Mitchell's British built Supermarine Spitfire, and the Hawker Hurricane the most untouchable pieces of military hardware to ever move through the sky. Pilots were convinced that their planes couldn’t get any better, couldn’t possibly fly faster, or perform with more efficiency. They believed in their hearts that they had tigers by the tail each time they took to the air, until technology came banging on the door. Jet propulsion quickly brought an unprecedented level of advancement to models including the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe into the 50's, the British Hawker Hunter, the Russian MiG-15 through the 60's, the Mirage F-1 into the 70's, and the American F-4, F-14, and the F-22 from the 80s into the present day. The military and its pilots never looked back but always focused on the next, most advanced solution for the future. This is an example of how technology demanded a seat at the table and conquered its position by changing the game based on performance and sustainability. In a span of eighty years, a gasoline powered plane moved from being the ultimate military air defense solution to an entertaining antique to be admired at celebrated public events. Whether we are hard core enthusiasts who refuse to accept that someday the EV will rise to become the performance choice of a new generation, or the tilt-headed optimist who sees possibilities in all technology, we cannot dismiss that the current target for automotive industry is to lessen manufacturing costs, amplify profit, sustain their competitive edge, and secure the longevity of their brand. Looking at history, the logistics of technological change, and just doing simple math, even the most optimistic lover of gasoline smell, oily hands, and loud exhaust may need to bow their heads and accept that their seat at the performance table may be taken by a younger, more modern competitor. In our hearts the true enthusiast must continue to believe that the gasoline engine still has an amazing amount of potential that has not been completely mined. The jet may be in the sky, but our birds are still in the air and have a lot of fight left between their wings.
Nobody can predict the future based on numbers or trends. A human's intuition, emotion, experience, and feelings will always determine what is truly the next thing to conquer the heart and mind. The Electric Vehicle was once like a number of things that came along with a badge of mystery and doubt stuck to its chest. At its beginning the video cassette was a massive threat to the movie industry. Executives at a few major studios said it will destroy the retail theater market since people will choose to stay home rather than go out and catch a movie at a large theater with other viewers. The introduction of the VHS, Cable, Satellite TV, along with the DVD, and then later... streaming technology not only failed to destroy the movie theater industry, but proved to both enhance and boost attendance and popularity of watching movies in large theaters. The same phenomenon affected the music industry with the invention of the CD, the Mp3, and streamed music services. By 2020, stores once filled with these new technology types were steadily re-stocked with vinyl records (huh?), a format that was quickly dismissed by technologists as a clunky, impractical vehicle for music, but embrace so firmly by audio purist that it has become the world's favorite, most comforting, and accurate way to enjoy produced music. Many serious enthusiasts are fearful that the EV platform will become the new standard, the new normal, and the preferred choice for both regular consumers and a new generation of performance junkies who don't know the difference between an exhaust system and an intake. In the present day, the gas-powered enthusiast must keep joy at the front of their mind since it is the roar of their lion that turns heads. We agree that as each day passes, there are more people in the EV world discovering how to pull more power from their cars. We realize that by increasing their battery pack’s capacity or tweaking the voltage equates to our install of a less restrictive exhaust system, bolting down an intake, or increasing the compression ratio on our favorite gas-powered vehicle. As a member of the "internal combustion club", you still have the ability to listen to a car's voice and heartbeat and tell the differences between a flat-four motor and a V-6 just by what noises are surrounding its presence. An EV has no real personality, contains no unique voice or tone to express its connection with the builder who molded its existence. Take comfort in the true uniqueness that only can be exhibited by a gas powered ride. The truth could be that someday, when the EV has been fully perfected, filled with technology to trick the senses and stimulate the nervous system, and, like virtual reality, make the driver think they are experiencing something real when its only fiction, we will be converted from what has been to something we prefer as an alternative. For now, as they advance, some enthusiasts may admit that these Electric Vehicles are fast and can be fun to drive, but truthfully no enthusiast will say that is all that they need out of a car. It is more fun to experience, connect with, and feel a vehicle perform like the unique piece of machinery that ultimately connected it to its driver. As long as you are connected, the possibilities will never end.
We would be very interested in your thoughts regarding this article and how you feel about fans of Electric Vehicles sharing the performance space with Internal Combustion-loving enthusiasts. Do you think there is a future for EV Performance? Let us know!
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Bryon Turcotte - Marketing Writer/Analyst
Turcotte has worked as a writer, journalist, and digital content developer for 30 years. He began his career in music journalism in 1995 then worked for several years as both a staff writer, managing editor, and a freelancer for both regional and national music publications. Over the next three decades his contributions extended beyond the music industry as he served within the realms of higher education, science and technology, manufacturing, and finance. He has been serving as a content developer and writer on the Subimods Marketing team since August 2023.
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