Amped Up

The EV Swap for the Everyman Is Coming Soon

- By Douglas R. Glad. Photos by Evan Perkins

It's time to put down your beer and take a serious look at EV swaps for performance-oriented hot rod guys. If you haven't become jealous of the factory 2022 Tesla Plaid that de-pantsed the Big Three with low, low nine-second quarter-mile times using street tires on a mildly prepped racing surface, you should look into it. The Plaid did the deed off the trailer with a Skechers-shod crossover tester behind the wheel-no swaggering Top Fuel pilots or professional drivers were present. You don't need 'em; going real fast in the Tesla is an exercise in button-pushing and slapping the pedal thingy to WOT.

You've also likely seen or heard of Tesla-powered CIOs, and former air-cooled sports cars being swapped at shops around the country. Those kids are known as early adopters. They will eventually show up at your street race and hurt some feelings. Your feelings.

Tesla EV Swap Kits for All

What you haven't seen yet is an attempt at a swap kit from the aftermarket. This 2007 Mustang prototype is AEM's attempt to legitimize, if not standardize, the EVswap, so everyone can get in on the fun. EVs are flat-out fast, so put your prejudices away and take a look at what's coming.

AEM was co-founded in 1987 by John (J.C.) Concialdi and Bob Sullivan and is best known for cold-air kits and import performance tuning during the The Fast and the Furious era. It is now owned by Holley, the company that brought the easy LS swap to the world. Put the two together and you have a small group of rebels with the pockets of a larger company to back them up. This EV Mustang is AEM's monster.