Owners of EQ vehicles will soon be able to add more power and better acceleration by paying an annual membership.
According to The Drive, Mercedes will soon allow owners of its electric EQ vehicles to unlock faster acceleration as part of a $1200+ annual membership. The membership, which may be purchased through “Mercedes me connect” services, is supposed to reduce 0–60 mph times by as much as a whole second.
Depending on the model, the subscription also raises the electric motors’ maximum output by 60 to 87 horsepower.
When it comes to new automobiles, more performance always comes at a cost, whether it’s paying more for a powerful engine choice or paying an annual charge to accelerate to 60 mph faster.
It has becoming more common for automakers to implement a subscription model for popular features. It’s mostly a result of new cars becoming more and more common that use technology that enables over-the-air updates. Naturally, charging monthly or yearly subscription fees to consumers for content that is otherwise free can irritate them, as BMW discovered the hard way with their Apple CarPlay blunder.
Nevertheless, these on-demand alternatives don’t seem to be disappearing any time soon, and everyone will probably have an opinion on Mercedes’ upcoming “Acceleration Increase,” which is already available for purchase on the company’s website.
What do you actually get for your $1200+ a year performance upgrade from Mercedes? Depending on the model, it is said to cut the EV’s time from 0 to 60 mph by 0.8 to 1.0 second. Only the all-wheel-drive EQE350 4Matic and EQS450 4Matic in sedan and SUV body styles are listed by the manufacturer.
Mercedes claims that the Acceleration Increase package enhances the maximum power of the electric motors in addition to providing faster acceleration. The EQE350 models add 60 horsepower (349 total), and the EQS450 models add 87 horsepower in addition to increased torque (443 total).
