How an independent engineer built an electric Porsche that's quicker than a Tesla

• Bisi Ezerioha is the chief engineer of Bisimoto Engineering and well-know for modifying cars to the limits of their performance, but until this build only worked on traditional gas vehicles
• This time around he decided to convert a Porsche 935 from gas to fully electric.
• The resulting car boasts a 0 to 60 time of 2.06 seconds, quicker than a Tesla Model S Performance

The following is a transcript of the video.

Bisi Ezerioha: The sheer acceleration is unmatched. Does 0 to 60 in 2.06 seconds, and has much better performance than any Tesla out there. My name is Bisi Ezerioha. And this is my electric Porsche, the K3V.

Narrator: Bisi is a self-proclaimed gearhead, former race-car driver, and gifted engineer. And the starting point for this project was a mostly gutted Porsche 935 that would later become his first EV conversion.

Bisi: The vehicle had wheels, it was able to roll, but had nothing inside. No interior, no exterior, no front bumper, no rear bumper, just a hood and doors. There were a lot of things that I didn't expect. And I felt like, "How difficult, how complex could an EV conversion be?" Boy, was I wrong.

Narrator: Bisi's electric Porsche, the K3V, is the accumulation of months of learning and laboring. But the first step in the process was to gut the Porsche of all the parts associated with the engine. With the engine bay empty, Bisi added the electric drivetrain in its place. Next, he had to figure out how to power the car, and Bisi chose a setup that would make 635 horsepower and up to 180 miles of range, making the car just as practical as it is powerful.

Bisi: So, I have two battery packs, one in the front here and one in the rear. Each of those battery packs contains 16 kilowatt-hours, so I have a 32-kilowatt-hour setup, which, depending on my driving, can give me anywhere from a 100- to 180-mile range, when I'm using regen at its max. And regen is the opportunity where I can use my motor as an absorption unit, so when I'm braking or slowing down, it can put energy back into the batteries to charge it up a little bit to extend my range and performance.

Narrator: The performance of the K3V is further improved by the vehicle's design. The body kit on the EV is from the K3 Porsche by Kremer, a German tuning shop that modified Porsche 935s. But Bisi expanded on the design by upgrading its spoiler to a dual-plane carbon-fiber wing, using carbon fiber for the front splitter, and adding daytime running headlights for obvious safety reasons. Compared to a Tesla Model S Performance, the aerodynamics of the K3V are much more sophisticated. The design allows it to more efficiently cut through the air, aiding its ability to accelerate quickly. But it's the power-to-weight ratio that likely gives the K3V the advantage. At 2,681 pounds and 635 horsepower, the K3V weighs almost half that of a Tesla Model S that produces 762 horsepower. With significantly less weight and a small decrease in power, Bisi's electric Porsche is faster by two-tenths from 0 to 60. While the K3V can't quite compete with Tesla's range of over 350 miles, it holds its own against the Taycan, an EV actually manufactured by Porsche, which advertises up to 200 miles in range and 562 to 750 horsepower, depending on the battery pack. But Bisi wanted his Porsche to look as good as it performed. Many elements were custom-made to fit his vision. The artwork on the car is designed after a Japanese racing team, while the wheels are designed after a Formula E car, part of his attempt to elegantly infuse this older car with new technology. In fact, while it looks like a race car from the '80s, it's almost entirely retrofitted with modern enhancements, like replacing the gas cap with a charging port. Inside, the minimalist design is inspired by Porsches of the same era, but, again, with a few modern touches. Most notable is the digital display, which reads out battery levels, temperature, speed, and any information the driver may need. The gear shifter has been retrofitted and wired to put the car in drive or reverse to make the car as user-friendly as possible. Bisi's efforts resulted in a driving experience that outperformed the Model S, Porsche Taycan, and all of his previous builds.

Bisi: Dare I say electric vehicles are more fun than internal-combustion engine counterparts? You cannot beat the performance. Look at what Tesla is doing and what Porsche is doing with the Taycan, and then Rimac with their supercars. Petrol engines have a sound and a vibration that tends to dampen my contact with the surface. So now I hear the pebbles up in the wheel wells. I feel and hear the tires better. [purring engine] Having built this car taught me that having an open mind in science and technology can yield wonderful things. This is really a new chapter in the book of Bisimoto.