In snapshot 14w11b(if I remember correctly), minecarts on powered rails went at 20 metres per second. I updated to 1.8, and this happened.
What I expected to happen:
The minecart will continue to go at 20 MPS.
What actually happened was:
The minecart only went at 8 metres per second.
WAI. Minecart physics were reverted by popular demand.