Subscription-based electric-car power increases banned in Europe

Offering electric-car power increases for an additional subscription fee has been banned in Europe – for now.

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German car giant Mercedes Benz is facing a legal battle in Europe over plans to offer a wifi-delivered power boost on some of its electric cars through a subscription that’s in addition to the cost of the vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz currently allows owners to increase the performance of the EQE or EQS in North America for an annual payment of $US1200 ($AU1800).

For that money, owners of EQE 350 4Matic and EQS 450 4Matic models in the US get a time-limited performance boost of 45kW and 55kW respectively – an increase of about 20 per cent.

A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz told Top Gear the ability to offer the feature in Europe depends on “legal matters”.

The subscription trend has annoyed car buyers, but some auto giants are persevering as they try to create a new layer of profit – and ongoing revenue after the car is sold to the customer.

What has frustrated customers in particular is that, in many cases, the optional equipment or capability has already been fitted to the vehicle – but companies such as BMW and Polestar are still trying to charge extra for their use.

Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than 15 years. Ben was previously an interstate truck driver and completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021. He is considered an expert in the area of ​​classic car investment.

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