Tesla locks horsepower behind paywall
Tesla charges $2,000 to unlock an additional 50–100 horsepower from the existing dual-motor hardware in the Model Y and Model 3, reducing its 0–60 mph acceleration time by 0.4–0.5 seconds through software changes alone.
Background[edit | edit source]
Tesla has been the pioneer car manufacturer of over-the-air (OTA) software updates, being the first ever to send one in 2012.[1] While having full control of the software and being able to send updates can benefit customers in many ways, it enables the manufacturer to software-lock certain features and hardware that are present and otherwise functional in the car.
This has been the case for the Acceleration Boost, an over-the-air software upgrade that improves the 0–60 mph acceleration of supported vehicles by 0.4–0.5 seconds, which was officially launched in 2019.[2] Initially exclusive to the Long Range Model 3, it is now also available for the Long Range Model Y.[3]
How it works[edit | edit source]
The OTA upgrade is available only as a one-time purchase of $2000 and exclusively for AWD versions, as the RWD variants only have a single motor at the rear.[4] The AWD Model 3 and Model Y are already equipped with dual motors capable of delivering the additional performance provided by the upgrade, but their full power is software-locked, requiring customers to pay for hardware they already own.
In the following chart is the 0-60 performance comparison between the Long Range model with and without the upgrade and the Performance model:[5]
| Model | Long Range | Acceleration Boost | Performance |
| Model 3 | 4.2 seconds | 3.7 seconds | 3.1 seconds |
| Model Y | 4.8 seconds | 4.3 seconds | 3.5 seconds |
See also[edit | edit source]
- Tesla locks heated rear seats behind paywall
- Tesla locks battery range behind paywall
- BMW feature lockout scandal
- Mazda remote-start subscription
- BMW's heated seat subscription
- Software locks
- Audi Basic HVAC "Sync" Function Paywalled
- Mercedes-Benz locks horsepower behind paid subscription
- Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription
- Mercedes-Benz EQS rear-wheel steering requires subscription
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Newcomb, Doug; Lugo, Ryan (11 Apr 2025). "Still Loading: The Slow Roll of Automotive Over-the-Air Updates". motortrend.com. Retrieved 22 Aug 2025.
- ↑ Lambert, Fred (19 Dec 2019). "Tesla launches $2,000 'Acceleration Boost' for 3.9s 0-60 mph in Model 3 Dual Motor". electrek.co. Retrieved 23 Aug 2025.
- ↑ Alvarez, Simon (5 May 2025). "Tesla releases paid performance upgrade for new Model Y". teslarati.com. Retrieved 23 Aug 2025.
- ↑ "Tesla offers acceleration boost upgrade for the new Model Y". evannex.com. 2 Jun 2025. Retrieved 23 Aug 2025.
- ↑ Aguirre, Jorge (28 Oct 2022). "Tesla Acceleration Boost: A Complete Guide". notateslaapp.com. Retrieved 23 Aug 2025.