Tesla LDU Inverter Control Board for EV Conversions

Install a Tesla Model S or Model X "P" (P90D, P100D) Large Drive Unit (LDU) in any vehicle and achieve complete control with AEM EV’s LDU Inverter Control Board (ICB, PN 30-8402) and VCU200 Vehicle Control Unit (PN 30-8000)! This system provides full control of the LDU for programming torque curves, torque limits, regenerative braking, accelerator pedal response, drive-mode switches, and much more. The Tesla LDU currently comes in two versions, Base and Sport.

AEM EV’s Tesla Inverter Control Board acts as a VCU expansion device that replaces the stock Tesla ICB. Once connected to a VCU200 using the supplied communications harness, calibrators can program propulsion strategies and characterize inputs through the VCU using AEMcal software. AEM EV’s LDU ICB was co-developed with Cascadia Motion, an industry leader in EV propulsion systems, to ensure the highest standards of quality and reliability.

NOTE: The Inverter Control Board must be used with a VCU200 Vehicle Control Unit for programming and controlling a Tesla LDU. This system is designed for conversion and motorsports vehicles with Tesla LDU swaps. It will not control a Tesla LDU in a Tesla OE chassis

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Improved Performance Over Stock

AEM EV’s engineers were able to increase the peak torque output of the Base LDU using the AEM EV LDU controls system. The following dyno chart shows a +50Nm torque increase with the AEM EV VCU & Tesla LDU ICB over the stock torque level.

TEST 1: The green trace is a Base LDU with OE Tesla control board used with a competitor CAN spoofer control device. The red trace is the same Base LDU with AEM EV controls package. Average peak torque from the OE control board is 415Nm and average peak torque from AEM EV controls package is 465Nm – a +50Nm gain! Both tests were completed at the same HV voltage level using AEM EV’s stationary dyno power supply.

It's important to note that the motor’s maximum achievable power output is highly dependent upon the HV battery’s discharge characteristics. Certain battery cell types and battery pack configurations will lend themselves to making more overall power. Because of this, AEM is not able to guarantee a specific power output, however, the peak torque output should almost always be achievable. Ultimately, since power directly correlates to torque and rpm, peak power will always be based on how long the motor’s peak torque can be made which is directly related to the battery’s discharge power capability.

A comparison that highlights this point can be seen in the following dyno chart the shows the different power levels that can be achieved with a Base LDU depending on battery discharge characteristics.

TEST 2: The blue trace is a Base model 2013 Model S P85 with Base LDU and stock 85kWh battery pack. The green trace is the AEM EV R&D development car, the “TesTang”, a 2007 Ford Mustang GT with Base LDU swap and hybrid minivan batteries. The red trace is the AEM EV R&D dyno test rig with Base LDU and stationary dyno power supply (130kWh energy capacity, 1700Amp DC discharge rating). The +50Nm torque gain is realized with the AEM EV controls package over stock but it’s important to note that how long the motor’s maximum torque output can be sustained will determine the ultimate power level. For instance, with the lower torque output and limited battery discharge capability, the stock Model S is only capable of making ~250kW of power. The AEM EV TesTang with increased torque output and high-power hybrid batteries can sustain a significantly boosted torque curve that results in more power – 300kW peak giving a +50kw performance advantage over a stock Base Model S 85. A more extreme example of this is with the very large, very powerful stationary battery/power supply used by AEM EV for motor/inverter development. With 1700Amps of DC discharge capability and minimal voltage sag, the Base LDU’s torque curve is further boosted and results in a peak power output of nearly 350kW! Although it may be difficult to physically house a battery of this size in a road vehicle, this represents the possibility of realizing a +100kW power increase over a stock Model S with a Base LDU!

Other improved performance aspects include the elimination of any hard-coded motor speed limiters as well as HV battery voltage limits*. Through testing, it was observed that the stock Tesla LDU controls will limit motor speed to 14,500-15,200 rpm. The AEM EV controls package completely removes this limitation and allows motor speeds up to the max advised mechanical motor speed of 18,000 rpm allowing for higher ultimate vehicle speeds. It has additionally been observed that the stock Tesla LDU controls limit allowed maximum battery voltage to 404 volts. HV battery supply voltage will directly impact the motor’s ultimate power output and allowing for a higher supply voltage will result in more power. The AEM EV Tesla LDU ICB has no hard-coded voltage limit, but the inverter’s 450-volt DC link capacitor rating should always be observed.

* The ability to apply higher RPM and voltage to increase a Tesla Drive Unit’s power may result in degradation of the unit.

Comprehensive Control Through a Central Interface

AEM EV’s optional CAN expansion modules can provide additional data channels, our CAN-based modular battery management system integrates seamlessly with any AEM EV VCU-controlled vehicle, our CAN-based PDU-8 Power Distribution Units provide accessory control over switched functions, and data visualization/logging of any and all channels from devices on any connected CAN network is possible using AEM EV’s CD Carbon logging dash displays. All programming for our BMS and PDU-8 modules is performed in AEMcal software for the VCU200 and VCU300.

Intuitive Software

AEMcal software for AEM EV VCUs simplifies the process of customizing the power delivery strategies and controlling all the ancillary subsystems of EV motorsports and conversion vehicles. AEMcal software is free to download, and it is fully enabled (not a demo version), allowing users to explore its full suite of features and capabilities.

Utilizing a simplified and intuitive graphical interface that combines tables and graphs for implementing strategies for torque delivery, launch control (stationary and dynamic), traction control, regenerative braking, speed limiting, map switching and more, AEMcal software puts an end to the need for stacking multiple controllers to control an EV's propulsion and ancillary systems. AEMcal software is available for download on the Software page.