The American subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz announced a new product in its web catalog called “acceleration boost”. It promises to improve the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in electric vehicles of the EQ line in almost 1 second, remotely adjusting via software the characteristic curve of the motor, the torque and the maximum output. All this if the interested user pays USD 1,200 per year, of course.
Mercedes adds that the remote adjustment of the electric motors allows an increase in maximum engine power for an EQ between 20 and 24 percentdepending on the original factory power.
This paid “Throttle Boost” is available on four vehicles, causing these changes:
Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
- Goes from 288 hp to 349 hp
- 0 to 100 km/h from 6.0 to 5.1 seconds
Mercedes EQE SUV 350 4Matic
- Goes from 288 hp to 349 hp
- 0 to 100 km/h from 6.2 to 5.2 seconds
Mercedes EQS 450 4Matic
- Goes from 355 hp to 443 hp
- 0 to 100 km/h from 5.3 to 4.5 seconds
Mercedes EQS SUV 450 4Matic
- Goes from 355 hp to 443 hp
- 0 to 100 km/h from 5.8 to 4.9 seconds
This new business model had already been implemented in features like the infotainment system, but it became controversial when BMW also launched a subscription to enable existing features in its cars, such as heated seats.
The controversy is installed and with good reason, since it is nonsense to have to pay for technologies that are already incorporated into the vehicle, and all this is an unethical attempt by the manufacturers to increase their profits. Nevertheless, It seems that this methodology is what is coming in the entire industry, as several manufacturers are expected to move car features to subscription systems. Without going any further, and to take a dimension of what this methodology means for company profits, Stellantis at the time announced that it expects to generate some USD 4.4 billion a year for services from its digital market for on-demand functions and services of mobility.
This also occurs because many people who use Premium cars agree with which the brands from which they bought a vehicle can block a function until they pay for it, even if the vehicle is their property. If these methods were not accepted, they would not exist.
