There’s no way around it: electric vehicles (EVs) are the way of the future. No matter what side of the EV argument you fall on, these cars are already commonplace and will only become more so in the near future.

There are plenty of benefits to EVs like the fact that they are zero emission (while driving anyway), cheaper to run, have advanced features, and in some cases are more practical due to increased interior space.

Though, if there is one thing EVs are not, it's sexy. They just aren’t. We’re sorry (not really) if that offends anyone reading this but we’re just going to go ahead and declare it as an absolute objective truth.

However, in the interest of fairness we will admit that things are starting to change. The upcoming Telsa Roadster is pretty attractive. Additionally, other parties are out there making serious efforts to prove that EVs can be “cool” and won’t be the death of performance car culture.

One such party is Evasive Motorsports, a performance shop based in Cerritos, CA. The crew at Evasive Motorsports are true racers and have built cars for years. They’ve taken on time attack, drifting, and nearly everything in between.

For months, the intrepid shop has been working on a special project: a Tesla Model 3 Pikes Peak race car. If you think that’s crazy you’ll flip when you learn that they’re being sponsored by an oil company!

While it might seem counter-intuitive for an oil company to sponsor an electric vehicle, remember even EVs need lubrication and cooling. That is why Japanese lubricant company Eneos stepped up to back the Evasive Motorsports Tesla Pikes Peak car. Eneos has developed no less than six different fluids for EVs that help keep important components like the motor and battery cool.

How to build an EV race car

Beyond the fluids, the team at Evasive did much more to prep the Tesla Model 3 for race duty up Pikes Peak.

When it comes to power, the team does not have to do much. EV motors are known for making significant power and instant torque.

Thus, the team focused on reducing weight and increasing downforce. Reducing weight was easy enough, the team started by ripping out any non-essential piece of the Tesla’s interior.

Then the doors, roof, trunk lid, and even rear windshield were replaced with custom carbon fiber pieces

Some more weight was shaved by replacing the stock wheels with a set of Titan 7 TP-5 forged wheels. To accommodate the new, wider wheels a set of carbon fiber wide fenders from Artisan Spirits were applied to the Tesla's exterior.

Improving handling a KW Competition adjustable suspension system was added and a set of Brembo calipers replaced the stock brakes to increase stopping power.

Downforce is enhanced with a Voltex carbon fiber GT wing. Evasive Motorsport then developed their own carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser. Then the shop produced their own custom aero disc covers for the wheels.

To aid with acceleration and moving the 450 horsepower to the right wheels at the right time, a Quaife ATB rear differential was bolted on.

Meet the driver: Dai Yoshihara

Evasive Motorsports has tested their Tesla Model 3 race car several times in recent weeks with Formula Drift Champion Dai Yoshihara behind the wheel. Dai has collaborated with Evasive Motorsports many times over the years and is their go to pilot for every shop race car out of their garage.

In fact, Dai has driven in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb (PPIHC) twice with Evasive Motorsports.

“I’m very excited about my third PPIHC,” Said Dai. “We had a great result last year and will try our best to build on the momentum. I’m grateful that ENEOS has supported our PPIHC program ever since my first year in 2019, and that they accepted our new challenge with the Tesla EV this year. We’re all very excited to see what we can do!”

Make no mistake, taking on Pikes Peak with a completely new platform is definitely going to be a challenge; even for a seasoned team like Evasive Motorsports.

“This is definitely our most ambitious project to date,” said Mike Chang, co-founder of Evasive Motorsports. “We love to challenge ourselves and know it’s only a matter of time before the performance and racing industry will need to look seriously at electric vehicles. So, we decided to jump into the deep-end and apply all our motorsports experience to the Tesla Model 3. We’re hoping to anticipate any potential problems we will face, but we won’t know if we succeeded until Dai crosses the finish line on 6/27, and hopefully we’re left holding the EV Production Class track record!”

We’ll know in just a few days if the team at Evasive Motorsports, Dai, and Eneos will pull off a new record. Stay tuned as we’ll update this article with the results!

Who knows? This group may just change some hearts and minds when it comes to EVs in motorsports.

Dai Yoshihara To Pilot Tesla Model 3 At Pikes Peak