How do you increase horsepower with a software update?

[Driver Dave]

Anyone know technically exactly what the + is on ludicrious+?

 

[nwdiver]

The amount of current drawn from the battery by the drive units is software limited to protect different components in the car... the voltage/current output of the inverter can also be altered for different torque and power characteristics.

 

[wdolson]

The limiting factor in the P version's HP is not the motor itself, it's the components getting electricity out of the pack and into the motors fast enough. That kind of current surge causes a lot of heating and other issues. For Ludicrous mode they came up with a new smart fuse that could handle short bursts of high current. They have probably figured out some new tweak to allow the power to be on max a little longer.

If high temperature superconductors existed (the best superconductors only work around the temperature of liquid nitrogen), they might be able to get the full HP out of the motors. Superconductors have 0 electrical resistance, so they don't heat up when you pour current into them. Because they need to be cryogenicly cooled to work, they are only used for very specialized applications like super colliders.