Tesla Model Y Drag Race: Putting Acceleration Boost To The Test

Elon Musk says, Tesla simply doesn't produce slow cars.

By: EVANNEX

Mar 10, 2021 at 10:00am ET

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This article comes to us courtesy of EVANNEX, which makes and sells aftermarket Tesla accessories. The opinions expressed therein are not necessarily our own at InsideEVs, nor have we been paid by EVANNEX to publish these articles. We find the company's perspective as an aftermarket supplier of Tesla accessories interesting and are happy to share its content free of charge. Enjoy!

Posted on EVANNEX on March 10, 2021 by Iqtidar Ali

It’s truly amazing that you can improve your car’s 0-60 numbers in a matter of minutes without ever going to a tuning shop or dealership — just download an over-the-air (OTA) software update and your Tesla is upgraded in a matter of minutes. Most of the time Tesla provides these updates for free but a few are paid ones.

Above: Testing a Tesla Model Y with Acceleration Boost upgrade and one without (Source: Galileo Russell via HyperChange / YouTube)

Back in September last year, Tesla introduced an acceleration boost upgrade that Model Y Long Range AWD owners could purchase for $2,000. This paid software update slashes the Model Y AWD 0-60 mph time from 4.8 seconds to 4.2 seconds.

Tesla YouTuber Galileo Russell (aka Gali) brought together two Model Y Long Range AWD SUVs to a race track. One of them had the $2k acceleration boost already installed while the other one was ‘stock’ — sans the upgrade.

The one with the boost clearly won the first drag race against Gali’s non-boosted stock Model Y. Even though a 4.8-sec car is not slow by any means, 4.2-sec is definitely entering 'speed demon' territory. With the instant electric torque and acceleration, “driving a gas car feels like old technology,” according to Gali.

Gali also points out the fact that besides being bigger than the Model 3, Model Y has the same drag coefficient of 0.23 Cd — that’s a noteworthy engineering achievement on the part of Tesla. The combination of fine-tuned aerodynamics, optimally-designed motors, and a state-of-the art electric powertrain system coupled with advanced software technology gives Tesla vehicles a distinct edge over comparable internal combustion engine gas-guzzlers.

Because of these reasons, a mid-size electric SUV like Model Y is (somewhat surprisingly) able to challenge beasts like the Corvette C8 and Jeep Trackhawk on the dragstrip.

Above: Tesla Model Y ‘Sport’ mode available after installing the $2k acceleration boost OTA update (Source: HyperChange / YouTube).

Gali installed the $2,000 Model Y acceleration boost upgrade. Afterward, he had the ‘Sport’ mode selection available on his touchscreen. Before this update is installed, there are two acceleration modes available to select from: Chill and Standard. Once the tabs update to Chill and Sport, you can confirm that the upgrade has successfully installed.

At the end of the day, the newly updated Model Y won the race with only a slight difference since both cars had the same upgrade installed — only driver skill is responsible for a victory (or defeat) in this exciting drag race battle. Now let’s watch and enjoy this fun video...