Janis Joplin famously appealed to a higher being to buy her a Mercedes-Benz. If she were alive today, she’d also need to pay up on an annual subscription for extra speed.

Mercedes-Benz is trying to sell buyers of its EQ electric sedans a US$1 200 (R20 450) annual add-on that unlocks a feature the luxury vehicles are already capable of. The package will shave off just under one second on getting from zero to 100km/h. It’ll deactivate if the customer doesn’t pay the fee again in another 12 months.

“Fine-tuning of the electric motors increases the maximum motor output of your Mercedes-EQ by 20-24%,” said the landing page for the so-called Acceleration Increase subscription on the company’s online store. “The torque is also increased, enabling your vehicle to accelerate noticeably faster and more powerfully.”

Charging customers for a feature the car is already capable of is a bold move for the premium car maker. A similar move at German rival BMW earlier this year backfired after seeking to sell owners $18/month subscriptions to heat their seats.