Tesla has launched a long-awaited upgrade for owners of the new Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive (AWD), with the release of the Acceleration Boost upgrade. So far the upgrade is only available in Asia and Australia, but we expect it to be released in North America soon.
The Acceleration Boost upgrade is a software-based performance enhancement that Tesla introduced in late 2019 for owners of its Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) Model 3, and later for the Model Y. It is a paid over-the-air (OTA) upgrade that increases acceleration by optimizing the performance of the electric motors through software, showcasing Tesla’s unique ability to improve vehicle performance without hardware changes.
However, with the introduction of the new Model 3 in China last year, and in North America a few months later, the Acceleration Boost has been missing from the updated electric sedan. But it is now available, at least in parts of Asia and Australia.
According to Tesla, the Acceleration Boost will lower your 0-100km/h time from the stock 4.4 seconds to 3.8 seconds, a significant improvement. For comparison, the Model 3 Performance has a 0-100km/h time of 3.1 seconds, but in Canada costs $10,000 more, so the Acceleration Boost gets you close to the stats of the top-of-the-line Model 3 at a much lower price.
As for the price, so far we have seen the Acceleration Boost upgrade be available in China, Taiwan, and Australia. In each of those countries it is priced at the equivalent of around C$2,700 or US$1,900.
As for when Acceleration Boost will be available in North America. According to one of our sources, the upgrade was supposed to appear in China in September, but was delayed to November for unknown reasons. A North American release was supposed to happen just a few weeks after that, so we should hopefully see Acceleration Boost in Canada and the US before the end of the month.