Mercedes has dropped the worth for a yr of elevated horsepower and added month-to-month and lifelong fee choices for homeowners of its electrical automobiles.
If virtually none of that sentence made any sense, let’s clarify.
Horsepower Downloads?
A lot of right this moment’s electrical automobiles (EVs) are able to making extra horsepower than they do day-to-day. Producers use the identical electrical motors in lots of automobiles and use software program to restrict how a lot energy they put out.
Meaning producers can add horsepower to an EV by altering its programming.
Subscriptions to Components of Your Automotive?
Many automobiles on the market in America in 2023 have fixed connections to the web. They’re additionally stuffed with techniques networked to at least one one other. Even headlights will be small computer systems (see the current discovery that thieves can steal some automobiles by hacking into their headlight wires).
That’s key to many automakers’ long-term plans. The way forward for automobile purchasing might be very totally different than it’s right this moment.
Historically, automobile customers configure their new automobile once they purchase it — buying some options and declining others. Automakers construct automobiles with numerous packages of options to simplify manufacturing. That always implies that in order for you the premium stereo, you’re paying for heated seats, too.
However extremely networked automobiles give producers a unique possibility. Within the close to future, they’ll be capable of merely construct each automobile with each characteristic. Relying on what homeowners pay for, they’ll change these options on and off.
In the present day, as an illustration, an automaker might construct some automobiles with 6-speaker sound techniques and a few with premium 12-speaker models. Quickly, they may get monetary savings by constructing only one 12-speaker audio system. However they’ll cost totally different charges based mostly on whether or not you activate six or 12 audio system.
They may cost solely on the time of buy. However some count on to cost subscription charges as a substitute.
That payment is likely to be month-to-month. BMW has experimented with month-to-month funds for heated seats in some markets.
It could possibly be a payment per use — Volkswagen executives have mused about releasing self-driving software program that prices ticket costs based mostly on the place you need it to take you.
The Mercedes Horsepower Rental Program
Mix these two concepts, and also you get the place Mercedes is right this moment. Final yr, the corporate provided homeowners of its electrical automobiles the possibility to pay an annual payment for extra horsepower.
We don’t know what number of takers Mercedes discovered for its rent-a-speed-boost plan. However it could not have been sufficient.
This week, the corporate lowered the annual subscription worth. It additionally added each month-to-month and lifelong choices.
Mercedes Horsepower Increase Costs:
When the plan launched in November, homeowners may pay $1,200 for a one-year increase of about 60 or 80 horsepower, relying on the mannequin. In the present day, the pricing construction is extra advanced.
| Mannequin | Output Enhance | Acceleration Change (0-60 mph) |
Pricing |
| EQE 350 4MATIC Sedan | From 288 hp to 348 hp (+60 hp) | From 6.0 seconds to five.1 seconds | Month-to-month: $60/month Yearly: $600/yr Lifetime of Car: $1,950 |
| EQE 350 4MATIC SUV | From 288 hp to 348 hp (+60 hp) | From 6.2 seconds to five.2 seconds | Month-to-month: $60/month Yearly: $600/yr Lifetime of Car: $1,950 |
| EQS 450 4MATIC Sedan | From 355 hp to 435 hp (+80 hp) | From 5.3 seconds to 4.5 seconds | Month-to-month: $90/month Yearly: $900/yr Lifetime of Car: $2,950 |
| EQS 450 4MATIC SUV | From 355 hp to 435 hp (+80 hp) | From 5.8 seconds to 4.9 seconds | Month-to-month: $90/month Yearly: $900/yr Lifetime of Car: $2,950 |
