Tesla sells its vehicles with restrictions regulated by software, and this is certainly not news. For a long time it has been selling vehicles with battery packs capable of delivering 75 kWh but limited by software to 60 kWh. Moreover, with the so-called Acceleration Boost it provides the driver with an additional 50 HP, bringing acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 3,8 seconds on the Tesla Model 3 in the Dual Motor version.
For some time now there has been speculation about the possibility of circumventing the software limitations, anticipating Tesla itself. This not only happened but turned into a business opportunity. A'Canadian company, in fact, has managed to enhance a rear-wheel drive Tesla Model 3 to make it comparable to a Dual Motor all-wheel drive.
She had already managed to add a second electric motor to the Model 3 RWD so as to make it as powerful as one Dual Motor AWD. To succeed, the electric vehicle dealer Simon André had to hack the software in order to power the new electric motor from thereverse of the vehicle. In the RWD version of Model 3, in fact, it powers a single electric motor, while in the case of the Dual Motor it works in a slightly different way based on two motors.
Once you have access to the inverter via the jailbreak, Simon André could unlock the additional 50 HP of power usually only available with the Dual Motor version and improve acceleration. This is possible by simply installing a connector, which moreover gives the possibility to manage system updates and to continue to be able to install even the most recent ones, despite the jailbreak.
Also, unlock the "operating mode", a riding mode that disables traction control while maintaining ABS. This mode will also be accessible via a traditional web browser via computer o smartphone. The jailbreak allows the Canadian company to provide the Tesla mirror boost to Acceleration Boost at $1000, which is about half the price you need to pay Tesla.
Through the software hack, this company can even enable full power usually only available with the performance model of the Model 3. The upgrade from Model 3 Dual Motor to Model 3 Performance is not even provided by Tesla itself, although the two vehicles are almost identical in terms of technical specifications, excluding tyres, pedals and brakes, available in variant with increased performance on the Performance model. The latter type of enhancement, however, is more complex than the previous one and requires technical manpower.
Simon André has created a new brand, ingenext, with which it makes performance boosts available at prices lower than those of Tesla. On the other hand, this initiative could trigger a reaction from Tesla, which could claim that the changes thus made violate the terms of service of its electric vehicles. Having Tesla power available to hackers can lead to a dramatic change in the way we understand electric mobility. However, an official response is expected from the Californian manufacturer and above all if it is able to avoid the changes by intervening in turn on the software.
The question also raises other types of questions: is it right for Tesla to block part of the car's potential through software or should the user be able to exploit the vehicle he has purchased to the best of his ability? Surely violating the terms of service voids the Tesla warranty and makes installing the latest firmware more difficult. We'll see how this thorny story ends.
