GM Developing Drive Modes for Electric Car Racing

General Motors has filed a patent application for drive modes for electric racing cars. [According to the application, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 28, these modes manage the available energy in the battery pack in different ways, allowing the driver to switch between a single lap pace for qualifying runs and energy conservation for the race itself.

Qualifying mode allows maximum power to be utilized at the expense of running time, while endurance mode limits power but allows more laps to be completed at a set pace. The modes can be selected via steering wheel paddles, touch screen, or dedicated switches and buttons, GM said in the application.

The Formula E series of all-electric cars has already put similar ideas into practice. Formula E's current Gen 3 cars only produce up to 470 horsepower in certain situations, such as the final phase of qualifying or in attack mode, which gives a temporary power boost to drivers who take the slow racing line. At all other times, power is limited.

The Lucid Air Sapphire also has a track mode with drag strip, endurance, and hot lap sub-modes. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N also has an N race mode with endurance and sprint settings in addition to drag and track modes.

If GM continues to develop the ideas discussed in this patent application, it could bring equivalent functionality to its own future electric performance cars, such as the electric Corvette mentioned by GM President Mark Reuss in a 2022 interview.