A first-of-its-kind, plug-and-play factory ECU implementation of Flex Fuel for the Can-Am Maverick R.
Why do you NEED an EVP Flex Fuel system? How about 90+ wheel horsepower over the stock tune with the OEM turbocharger on E85. So much power can be achieved on Ethanol fuels vs pump gas or even higher-octane race fuels because of the combination of increased knock resistance and the property of alcohol fuels to remove heat from the charge air going into the engine. Although this is a simplistic explanation, the fact is that Ethanol-blended fuels allow us to run much more boost and optimize ignition providing a much higher-performing and safer tune.
Prior to EVP Flex Fuel, the two largest issues customers had to deal with were either buy E85 by the barrel from a reputable fuel supplier, which is expensive and a hassle to transport, or run around town with an Ethanol tester to try and find a gas station that has E85 that is close to 85% Ethanol. Stations usually sell E85 for less than 87 Octane gasoline, which makes it the cheapest, best race fuel. However, fuel stations are allowed to sell “E85” even if the ethanol content is as low as 45-50%. The problem with using lower than 85% Ethanol when a tune is designed for 85% is that the Engine Control Unit (ECU) has no way to compensate to obtain the correct air/fuel mixture, boost level or ignition advance for the given Ethanol percentage. This will obviously cause running issues and possibly damage the engine. Even if you find a gas station with fuel that tests at 85% Ethanol, because stations receive fuel deliveries often, a location that has good E85 one day may have E50 the next day. EVP Flex Fuel solves these issues buy allowing the ECU to compensate for varying ethanol content – all the way from pure 91 octane all the way to E98 (98% Ethanol).
How does EVP Flex Fuel work? EVP has implemented an advanced ECU strategy combined with a GM flex fuel sensor and EVP control module that reads the Ethanol content of the fuel and automatically adjusts the tuning so the vehicle not only starts and runs properly, but also ensures it makes the most possible power for a given ethanol content. This is adjusted in real time, so if you pour 91 octane into your tank that is half full of E85, the tune will automatically adjust for the new ethanol percentage. You can now go to any gas station that sells E85 and fill up with one of the best and least expensive fuels available anywhere. Even if there is no E85 available – just fill up with 91 Octane pump gas and the tune will automatically adjust all parameters so it runs safely and properly on that fuel.
We also built in multiple safety features into the EVP Flex Fuel system. If at any time the ECU loses connection to the EVP Ethanol Control Module, the Ignition and Boost tables are reduced to their lowest level (Stage 3-91 tuning), however, the ECU will continue to read the last known ethanol content of the fuel so the engine will continue to start and run with the fuel in the tank. This prevents customers from being stuck if there is a problem while keeping the engine safe. We have also built in a safety strategy that protects the engine if the ethanol sensor picks up erroneous signals or if the ethanol content changes too quickly. This strategy is active only as long as the ECU detects these errors. Once the errors clear, the engine power returns to the level appropriate for the given ethanol content.
We have also converted the OEM “Turbo Boost %” gauge to read the fuel's ethanol content directly. If the system has an issue, as described above, the gauge will flash between 0 and 100 providing a visual queue that there is an issue that must be resolved.
EVP also has Auxiliary Fuel Tanks available for the Maverick R. When we go to Glamis, or on a long desert ride, we will fill up the main tank with pump E85 and put 91 octane in the Auxiliary tanks. This eliminates all range anxiety. But even without the auxiliary tanks, you can fill up at any gas station with 91 Octane or E85 with zero hassle.
One added benefit of having an EVP Flex fuel tune is that most 91 Octane fuel in the US has roughly 10-15% ethanol blended into the fuel. Even 10% ethanol allows for about 15 more WHP than a straight 91 Octane with no ethanol added. So even if you filled up with the typical 91 Octane with 10% ethanol, the EVP Flex Fuel tune takes advantage of this by adding incrementally more boost and ignition.
FEATURES
- First Stock ECU implementation of Flex Fuel for the UTV Industry
- Takes all the hassle of running E85 or ethanol based fuels
- Allow you to make the most power possible per given percentage of ethanol content
- Can run pure non-oxygenated 91 Octane gasoline and every mixture in between all the way to E98
- Turbo Boost % gauge on the OEM Info Display changed to read ethanol content %
- Display gives a visual indication if there are any issues by flashing alternatively between 0 and 100%
- Works with EVP Auxiliary Fuel Tanks
- Kit includes everything you need to convert your already unlocked & EVP E85 tuned Maverick R over to Flex Fuel