Editing Tesla locks horsepower behind paywall

'''[[Tesla, Inc.|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 ==
Tesla has been the pioneer car manufacturer of over-the-air (OTA) software updates, being the first ever to send one in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newcomb |first=Doug |last2=Lugo |first2=Ryan |date=11 Apr 2025 |title=Still Loading: The Slow Roll of Automotive Over-the-Air Updates |url=https://www.motortrend.com/features/what-are-over-the-air-updates-ota-technology-rollout |access-date=22 Aug 2025 |website=motortrend.com}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=Fred |date=19 Dec 2019 |title=Tesla launches $2,000 ‘Acceleration Boost’ for 3.9s 0-60 mph in Model 3 Dual Motor |url=https://electrek.co/2019/12/19/tesla-acceleration-boost-model-3-dual-motor/ |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=electrek.co}}</ref> Initially exclusive to the Long Range Model 3, it is now also available for the Long Range Model Y.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alvarez |first=Simon |date=5 May 2025 |title=Tesla releases paid performance upgrade for new Model Y |url=https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-new-model-y-paid-performance-upgrade/ |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=teslarati.com}}</ref>

== How it works ==
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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 Jun 2025 |title=Tesla offers acceleration boost upgrade for the new Model Y |url=https://evannex.com/blogs/news/tesla-offers-acceleration-boost-upgrade-for-the-new-model-y |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=evannex.com}}</ref> 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:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aguirre |first=Jorge |date=28 Oct 2022 |title=Tesla Acceleration Boost: A Complete Guide |url=https://www.notateslaapp.com/tesla-reference/1040/ |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=notateslaapp.com}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|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 ==

* [[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 ==
<references />
[[Category:Incidents]]
[[Category:Tesla]]
[[Category:Tesla Model Y]]
[[Category:Tesla Model 3]]