As cars have become increasingly complex, sophisticated, powerful and economical, they have increasingly relied on sophisticated computer systems and sensors in order to ensure that every part of the car is aware of what every other part is doing.
The heart of this system is the engine control unit (ECU), sometimes simply known as the car computer, which monitors the sensors and components and manages them accordingly to control emissions, fuel usage, engine timing and performance.
This is why a simple remap of this ECU can have dramatic effects on your car’s performance, even if you leave the rest of the vehicle untouched.
ECUs are a vital part of any modern car, but the concept and even its application is far older than you may think. The very first car to feature an ECU came out in 1968.
The Volkswagen Type 3 (also known as the Volkswagen 1600E) was an unusual compact car that, whilst borrowing heavily from the Beetle (or Type 1), expanded the platform and eventually became remarkably innovative.
Seven years after launch, the 1600E (Einspritzung) would be the first mass-produced car with an ECU, the Bosch D-Jetronic, although its use and functionality were limited to acting as a fuel injection system.
This system, advertised as “Volkswagen’s Electronic Brain”, was almost a decade ahead of its time in the automotive world, but ECUs became standard-issue very quickly due to necessity.
In the 1970s, stringent emissions, safety and fuel economy standards began to be rolled out, a consequence of the 1973 Oil Crisis and the rapidly evolving microprocessor industry.
Later in the decade, ECUs managed to boost fuel economy without heavily impacting performance, and from the 1980s up until the 1990s, ECUs would become increasingly important for regulating performance, emissions and almost every aspect of the car.
By the 1990s, ECU remaps were a fundamental part of car tuning and modification, and this has only expanded in the decades since.