Racing Your Tesla Will Negatively Impact Performance

Tesla Model S P100D (Credit: Tesla)

Most Tesla over-the-air updates improve functionality, something owners love. A new one has some fuming, because it punishes them for doing “too many” full-speed launches using Launch Control.

This shocking revelation was revealed by some people on the Tesla Motors Club forum. Needless to say, they’re not happy about the company going behind their back to limit how the cars are being used. While it’s not the first time an automaker has tried to punish owners for racing vehicles, it might be the first time it’s been done with an over-the-air update.

The punishment comes in the form of a performance limit. People claim peak motor output has dropped. Tesla says this is to guard against long-term damage to the powertrain, because the stress of hard launches isn’t good for it.

Apparently there’s a fix. Upgrading to a Tesla with Ludicrous Mode means you can do all the hard launches you want. So if you plan on racing, or just giving passengers heart attacks often, plan in advance.