Want Your Mercedes EV to Accelerate Faster? Just Pay $90 Per Month

pcmag.com:

Mercedes-Benz will allow some of its electric vehicles to increase the speed at which they can accelerate with a paid-for, over-the-air software update.

Anyone in the US who owns the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 4MATIC or EQS 450 4MATIC (Sedan or SUV models) can pay to have their vehicle's output increased by up to 80hp(Opens in a new window), which means the 0 to 60mph acceleration time is reduced by between 0.8 and 1.0 seconds depending on the vehicle model.

As the table above shows, for the EQE 350, the price of unlocking improved acceleration is $60 per month, $600 per year, or $1,950 for a vehicle lifetime upgrade. For the EQS 450, the price is higher and will cost $90 per month, $900 per year, or $2,950 for a vehicle lifetime upgrade.

Many will surely baulk at the idea of paying for a software update to make their electric vehicle go faster, but knocking up to a second off the acceleration time is going to be too tempting to ignore for some. Surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz achieved this so-called "Acceleration Increase On-Demand upgrade" without negatively impacting each vehicle's range.

This isn't the first time we've heard about vehicle manufacturers toying with the idea of charging for software udates that unlock new features. Last year, BMW tested locking certain vehicle features behind a monthly paywall. They included heated seats and steering wheel, artificial noise generation, and access to BMW's Driving Assistance Plus software.

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