Tesla Model 3 owners can go quicker with a click

Is a half-second improvement in 0-60 time worth $2,000? Tesla reckons it is, and if you agree — and you happen to be the proud owner of a dual-motor Model 3 — then you’re in luck. 

Tesla’s updated companion app now offers dual-motor Model 3 owners the option to purchase an “Acceleration Boost” upgrade that will instantly reduce 0-60 time from 4.4 seconds to just 3.9 — an improvement just shy of 13%. 

Per Teslarati, owners must be running version 2019.40.2 of Tesla’s in-vehicle software in order to apply the upgrade, which is delivered via the company’s over-the-air update system.

For now, the upgrade is available exclusively for dual-motor (all-wheel drive) models, but according to the acceleration enthusiasts over at DragTimes, other variants are likely to become eligible down the line, including the now-discontinued long-range, rear-wheel drive variant. Per Tesla’s source code, the improvement for rear-wheel drive models will also be a half-second.

Offering improved performance in exchange for cash is new territory for Tesla. Incremental improvements have been included in past software updates, but this is the first time it has been offered as a pay-to-play upgrade. Acceleration Boost is offered in the same category as features such as “full self-driving” for those who did not opt for it at purchase. 

Tesla isn’t the first volume automaker to offer owners the opportunity to go faster with the push of a button — Porsche’s “Sport Response” button does that. And the California-based EV builder is far from the first to offer factory-backed performance software. Many OEMs have offered owners performance ECU upgrades supported by a limited factory warranty, an example being Volvo’s Polestar; far more have offered performance parts with the same upsides, provided of course that they are installed by factory-certified techs at a dealership. 

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