Third-Party Hacks Can Now Boost A Tesla Model 3’s Performance By 50-To-150 Horsepower
One of the knocks auto purists have against electric vehicles is that, unlike traditional internal-combustion engine cars, they lack the ability to be easily customized for the sake of enhanced performance.
But it seems a Canadian company is proving that notion wrong, at least for Tesla Model 3 owners. As first reported by the website Electrek, a company called Ingenext, based in Quebec, has engineered hacks for the Model 3 that enliven the car’s acceleration for less than the cost of the available upgrades Tesla offers.
Tesla models have long been able to receive firmware updates electronically, and with the Model 3, there is an “Acceleration Boost” offered for the car’s Dual Motor variant that costs $2,000. It adds 50 horsepower to the mix and shaves the car’s 4.4-second 0-60 mph time to a mere 3.9 ticks.
In the process of attempting to upgrade a rear-drive Model 3 to a dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration, Ingenext’s founder, Guillaume André, reportedly came up with a pair of software hacks that would not only be able to add the aforementioned 50 horses to a dual-motor Model 3, but another that could bring the EV up to its top Performance model potential. The Performance trim, which costs $8,000 more than the Dual Motor Long Range Model 3 and is not otherwise available as an upgrade, is said to make the leap to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
The company’s “Boost 50” 50-horsepower enhancement is a do-it-yourself affair that’s accomplished via a simple plug-in module at a cost of $1,100. As a bonus, the hack includes a “drift mode” that’s accessible via a website app. The manufacturer says the device will not interfere with official firmware upgrades, but Ingenext’s website recommends removing the device if you’re taking the vehicle in to a Tesla Service Center or when having a technician visit for at-home work, as the automaker tends to take umbrage to such enhancements
The Performance mode upgrade, called “Ghost” adds 150 horsepower and costs $2,250, but requires professional installation. You’ll also lose the ability to receive Tesla upgrades with this hack, however, which may be a concern to many owners.