Many people see automotive electrification as an open door for quick and easy performance and platform hacks and upgrades, possibly just done at home. While we’re currently in the wild west of this sort of performance hacking, just keep in mind that Tesla isn’t going to put up with it for long.
Simon André, a shop in Quebec, Canada, is now offering Tesla’s factory “Acceleration Boost” option, which the automaker charges $2,000 for on the Model 3, at the steeply discounted price of just $1,100, Electrek reports.
It’s calling what’s essentially a hack discount the “Boost 50″ upgrade. Shop owner Guillaume André claims they discovered the “hack” while working on an aftermarket upgrade a rear-wheel drive Model 3 to the full dual-motor package.
The company selling the hack is reportedly partnered with the Electrified Garage project, which is backed by Youtuber and Tesla critic RichRebuilds, or Rich Benoit, according to Roadshow.
There are two “hacks,” one involving less actual hardware on your car than the other. The first is the “Boost 50” upgrade on the Dual Motor Model 3. This requires a small MCU connector. The second upgrade requires a “professional installation” and up to $3,000 CAD to tune the stock Dual Motor Model 3’s performance all the way up to the factory Model 3 Performance trim output. Obviously this won’t include the other hardware, like upgraded brakes, wheels, etc.
However, the full Model 3 Performance hack essentially bricks your car from receiving updates from the Tesla mothership. So, sure, you have the full performance with the current software version, but that’s it. You’re never going to receive another update again. That’s a lot to risk for power you can just go get at the factory with only a price penalty.
The less-expensive, “Boost 50” upgrade doesn’t appear to have the same consequences, at least not yet. But if Tesla decides this sort of tampering is costing them enough money to do something to discourage the behavior, I’m sure you’re going to want to think long and hard about whether that extra power is worth giving up a warranty.
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