-* New Upgrade Makes Model 3 Long Range AWD 0.5 Seconds Faster to 60 mph

-* Acceleration Boost Upgrade Costs $2,000

-* May negatively affect range (unconfirmed)

-* Can be done via n OTA update and via your mobile device

Tesla has now launched a new upgrade for the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range that will boost your acceleration enough to get you to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds – an improvement of 0.5 seconds. This news comes less than 24 hours after fine print about such an upgrade showed up at the bottom of the upgrade section in some people’s Tesla account. The upgrade is aptly called “Acceleration Boost,” and if you want it, it’ll cost you an extra $2,000.

The Acceleration Boost for the Model 3 Still Doesn’t Put it as fast as the Model 3 Performance

There isn’t a lot of difference between the Model 3 Dual Motor and the Model 3 performance. Regardless of what people tell you, the Dual Motor and Performance versions of the Model 3 have the same electric motors. Those in the Model 3 Performance are validated for higher output but that are the exact same motors.

With that said, there’s a good chance Tesla was holding back on this new upgrade until the time was right, but it doesn’t push the Dual Motor Model 3 into Performance trim territory. The performance model is still quite faster with a 3.2-second sprint to 60 mph. The new “Acceleration Boost” upgrade pushes the Dual Motor model down to 3.9 seconds, just 0.7 seconds slower. That’s not bad. As far as we can tell, the new upgrade for the Dual Motor Model 3 doesn’t affect range expectations, so you should still be able to get 322 miles out of a full charge. Top speed also reportedly stays the same at 145 mph. In contrast, the Model 3 Performance only musters up 310 miles but can hit a top speed of 162 mph.

Can the Model 3 Dual Motor Ever Be as Fast as the Model 3 Performance?

The $2,000 Acceleration Boost upgrade for the Model 3 Dual Motor obviously raises the question of how fast the car can get. Or, rather, how close to the Performance model can the Dual Motor Model 3 come? so don’t expect the Dual Motor Model 3 to ever match the performance of the Performance Model 3. Despite the fact that the share the same electric motors, it’s that larger power inverter in the Performance Model 3 that makes the car so fast. Without that the Performance trim wouldn’t be any faster than the Dual Motor Long Range Model 3.

I know some of you are screaming “what about the weight?” Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but there’s not much of a weight difference either. The Model 3 Performance tips the scale at 4,026 pounds. The larger power inverter in the Performance is probably heavier than the started unit in the Dual Motor Model 3, but those larger, 20-inch performance wheels also shave a little weight (at least we suspect they do, anyway.)

That power inverter, by the way, is why the Model 3 Performance gets less range than Dual Motor Model 3 – it’s not about the weight, it’s about the extra power taken from the battery and channeled to the electric motors.

Tesla Model 3 specifications

Is the $2,000 Acceleration Boost Upgrade Worth It?

If you’re asking whether or not paying for the Acceleration Boost upgrade is worth it, then it’s probably not for you. Unless you have a real hankering to get to 60 mph in less than four seconds, then sure, go ahead and do the upgrade. However, it’s probably best to understand that, even without confirmation from Tesla, there’s a chance that your total range could go down if you put the hammer down more often than not. To us, this comes off as a gimick in which Tesla could have easily provided the same performance at launch, but decided to hold back to make the Performance model more attractive as it was the only one that could get to 60 mph in under four seconds. If you didn’t want that kind of performance then, then do you really want it now?