If it is a sign of coming times then feeling the need for speed may soon make you take a glance at your pocket first. BBC has reported that luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is soon to charge customers an 'acceleration fee' for some of its electric cars to accelerate faster. As per the report, the company will charge customers USD 1200 excluding tax per year. With this, some of its vehicles will accelerate from 0-60 mph a second faster.

The move by Mercedes Benz follows one from BMW which launched a subscription service earlier this year for heated seats. BBC said that Mercedes does not plan to introduce 'acceleration increase' in UK currently. The subscription will however be available in the US for Mercedes-EQ EQE 350 and EQS 450 vehicles. Their SUV counterparts will be eligible for the subscription as well. However, no exact date has yet been officially announced by the company for the rollout of the subscription.

Customers and the public in general were surprised earlier this year when BMW announced 25 pounds monthly fee to unlock heated seats and steering in their cars.

This was not the first subscription option launched by carmakers. In 2021, Toyota&nbsp;had announced that it would charge USD 8 to some customers to enable them to start their cars remotely. In 2019, Elon Musk-led Tesla announced USD 2000 one-time fee to make its Model-3 cars accelerate from 0-60 mph half a second faster.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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If it is a sign of coming times then feeling the need for speed may soon make you take a glance at your pocket first. BBC has reported that luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is soon to charge customers an 'acceleration fee' for some of its electric cars to accelerate faster.

If it is a sign of coming times then feeling the need for speed may soon make you take a glance at your pocket first. BBC has reported that luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is soon to charge customers an 'acceleration fee' for some of its electric cars to accelerate faster. As per the report, the company will charge customers USD 1200 excluding tax per year. With this, some of its vehicles will accelerate from 0-60 mph a second faster. The move by Mercedes Benz follows one from BMW which launched a subscription service earlier this year for heated seats. BBC said that Mercedes does not plan to introduce 'acceleration increase' in UK currently. The subscription will however be available in the US for Mercedes-EQ EQE 350 and EQS 450 vehicles. Their SUV counterparts will be eligible for the subscription as well. However, no exact date has yet been officially announced by the company for the rollout of the subscription. Customers and the public in general were surprised earlier this year when BMW announced 25 pounds monthly fee to unlock heated seats and steering in their cars. This was not the first subscription option launched by carmakers. In 2021, Toyota had announced that it would charge USD 8 to some customers to enable them to start their cars remotely. In 2019, Elon Musk-led Tesla announced USD 2000 one-time fee to make its Model-3 cars accelerate from 0-60 mph half a second faster. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Life in the 'cost' lane: Mercedes to charge ‘acceleration fee’ for cars to go faster

A heroin &quot;epidemic&quot; is gripping the United States, where cheap supply has helped push the number of users to a 20-year high, increasing drug-related deaths, the United Nations said today. 
 
According to the U.N.&#39;s World Drug Report 2016, the number of heroin users in the United States reached around one million in 2014, almost three times as many as in 2003. Heroin-related deaths there have increased five-fold since 2000. 
 
&quot;There is really a huge epidemic (of) heroin in the U.S.,&quot; said Angela Me, the chief researcher for the report which released today. 
 
&quot;It is the highest definitely in the last 20 years,&quot; Me said, adding that the trend was continuing. 
 
The rise could be linked to U.S. legislation introduced in recent years which makes it harder to abuse prescription opioids such as oxicodone, a powerful painkiller that can have similar effects to heroin, Me said. 
 
The law meant the texture of the pills was changed to make it more difficult to crush them and inject them into the blood stream, Me said. 
 
&quot;This has caused a partial shift from the misuse of these prescription opioids to heroin.&quot; 
 
Another reason for the increase in the use of heroin, which in the United States mainly comes from Mexico and Colombia, is greater supply that has depressed prices in recent years, Me said. 
 
The United States has also seen a spike in deaths related to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more so than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
 
Fentanyl has been named as the drug that killed pop singer Prince this year. 
 
At least 207,000 deaths globally were drug-related in 2014, with heroin use and overdose-related deaths increasing sharply also over the last two years, according to the Vienna-based U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 
 
&quot;Heroin continues to be the drug that kills the most people and this resurgence must be addressed urgently,&quot; Yury Fedotov, the executive director of the UNODC, said. 
 
U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this year asked Congress for $1.1 billion in new funding over two years to expand treatment for users of heroin and prescription painkillers. 
 
(Reuters)

At least 207,000 deaths globally were drug-related in 2014, with heroin use and overdose-related deaths increased in last two years

A heroin "epidemic" is gripping the United States, where cheap supply has helped push the number of users to a 20-year high, increasing drug-related deaths, the United Nations said today. According to the U.N.'s World Drug Report 2016, the number of heroin users in the United States reached around one million in 2014, almost three times as many as in 2003. Heroin-related deaths there have increased five-fold since 2000. "There is really a huge epidemic (of) heroin in the U.S.," said Angela Me, the chief researcher for the report which released today. "It is the highest definitely in the last 20 years," Me said, adding that the trend was continuing. The rise could be linked to U.S. legislation introduced in recent years which makes it harder to abuse prescription opioids such as oxicodone, a powerful painkiller that can have similar effects to heroin, Me said. The law meant the texture of the pills was changed to make it more difficult to crush them and inject them into the blood stream, Me said. "This has caused a partial shift from the misuse of these prescription opioids to heroin." Another reason for the increase in the use of heroin, which in the United States mainly comes from Mexico and Colombia, is greater supply that has depressed prices in recent years, Me said. The United States has also seen a spike in deaths related to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more so than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl has been named as the drug that killed pop singer Prince this year. At least 207,000 deaths globally were drug-related in 2014, with heroin use and overdose-related deaths increasing sharply also over the last two years, according to the Vienna-based U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). "Heroin continues to be the drug that kills the most people and this resurgence must be addressed urgently," Yury Fedotov, the executive director of the UNODC, said. U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this year asked Congress for $1.1 billion in new funding over two years to expand treatment for users of heroin and prescription painkillers. (Reuters)

Heroin use at 20-year high in U.S. drug "epidemic", U.N. says

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