I follow several Tesla “fan” websites. Two of my favorites are Electrek and Teslarati. It’s 22:19 on Wednesday evening, and after refreshing their main Tesla news pages, I still see article titles like “Tesla is hinting at a paid ‘Acceleration Boost’ upgrade for the Model 3” and another similarly titled post from Electrek gossiping about the new paid upgrade. It is now very clear that Tesla’s first major paid upgrade (not counting FSD) to enhance performance of its Model 3 is live and available for the (not so low) price of $2,000.
It’s still early, but I’m not sure how to feel about Tesla introducing paid upgrades into their over-the-air (OTA) update pipeline. Maybe it’s the “early adopter” in me, but I feel that part of the mystique of the Tesla brand is the notion that as an owner, my car is unique in the automotive world in that it gets free OTA updates and performance upgrades. Perhaps it’s too greedy to think that way! While multiple performance upgrades have already been beamed to my Model 3 already at no cost (thanks Tesla!), this significant “Acceleration Boost” now comes with a hefty $2,000 price tag. I won’t be buying this upgrade.
Tesla has set a new precedent. Will we see Tesla’s free OTA upgrades (performance or otherwise) vanish into thin air?