Today there are many electronic devices that can be modified with a simple software update, from mobile devices to scooters. Tesla cars are nothing more than another electronic device that can also be improved through software updates, except that these updates are not free and users would have to pay for them to improve their cars, but these updates are still code, software that can be hacked and modified.
For all these reasons, Tesla has already begun to take measures against users who pirate its software to improve performance without going through Elon Musk's box.
At the end of 2019, Tesla introduced a $2,000 option called Acceleration Boost that managed to make the Model 3 Dual Motor gain about 50 horsepower and improve its acceleration.
This same update, marketed by a company called Ingenext according to Electrek, would have a price of $1,433 and would have the name Boost 50. It also allows you to change the performance of the cars by exploiting the potential of the motor and the battery, improving its acceleration (of 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds)
This company's Boost 50 technology not only increases the power of the Model 3, but also improves the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal and includes a specific mode for drifting.
To combat piracy, Tesla has begun to send warning messages through a software update, specifically 2020.32.2, which is capable of detecting these modifications and displays a notification on the screen that indicates the following: "Incompatible vehicle modification detected . Potential risk of damage or shutdown”, users who have reported images of the warning, although they indicate that the vehicle can be driven completely normally, the warning does not disappear from the display.
According to statements to Electrek, Ingenext has indicated that they are working on an update that would remove the Tesla notification so that users can do and undo with their vehicle without retaliation from Tesla.
It is a bit reminiscent of rooting mobile phones to install unsupported operating systems or patching Mac systems to install them on non-compatible devices. Now, a mobile phone or a PC is one thing, but a car that exceeds 100 km per hour and carries passengers and driver is quite another.
Do you think that hacking a car is putting its security at risk or, on the contrary, do you think that companies just want to make money and do you agree with hacking?
