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Ferrari CEO changes tune on EVs, “We have to do it” thanks to Tesla
After years of taking a strong stance against electric vehicles, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne is finally ready to embrace the electric car revolution. In a statement during the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, an event which Tesla opted out of for the third year in a row, the Ferrari CEO announced that the iconic automaker is going to release the world’s “first” electric supercar.
It took a while for Marchionne to even accept the idea of an electric supercar. Over the past few years, the Ferrari CEO has made waves in the auto industry by describing cars like the Tesla Model S as “obscene” due to their lack of engine noise — something that Marchionne believes has to be present in a true supercar. The executive further stated that he would have to be shot first before Ferrari develops a self-driving electric vehicle. Considering his recent statements at the Detroit auto show, however, it seems like it would take far less than a bullet to change Marchionne’s mind.
All it seemed to take was the impending release of Elon Musk’s next-generation Tesla Roadster.
In a statement to Bloomberg, the Ferrari CEO declared that if there will ever be an electric supercar that would be released to the public, it would have the prancing horse on its badge. The Italian auto executive, however, asserted that he is not trying to discount the progress made by Elon Musk’s firm in the car industry. He simply believes that Tesla’s accomplishments can be attained by legacy supercar makers such as Ferrari as well.
“If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari will be the first. People are amazed at what Tesla did with a supercar: I’m not trying to minimize what Elon did, but I think it’s doable by all of us.”
The CEO further stated that he expects the development of Ferrari’s electric supercar to be a rather simple process. According to the executive, his firm would continue developing hybrid supercars, followed by an eventual transition to fully electric vehicles.
“We do it because we have to do it. While there is work to be done, the new plan for Ferrari being released in the first half will include hybrid cars, so going from there to an electric is easy,” the CEO said, according to a Bloomberg report.
In a lot of ways, Ferrari’s upcoming electric supercar would be a direct competitor to the next-generation Tesla Roadster, which is expected to be released sometime in 2020. While Tesla’s electric supercar is still in development, Musk announced that it would be able to hit 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and finish the quarter-mile in 8.9 seconds. The top speed of the next-gen Roadster was not revealed, but the Tesla CEO did state that it would be beyond 250 mph. Apart from its insane speed, the upcoming tri-motor electric Roadster also boasts a 200 kWh battery pack that’s capable of traveling 620 miles on a single charge.
Overall, it would be interesting to see how Ferrari’s upcoming electric supercar would compare to the next-generation Tesla Roadster. Ferraris, after all, have a strong lineage in Motorsports and track performance, something that Tesla has yet to accel in with its prone to overheating all-electric powertrain. Then again, the Tesla CEO also announced that the next-generation Roadster would be capable of cruising at autobahn speeds for hours. Thus, when the next-gen Roadster does get released, legacy supercar makers like Ferrari might have a pretty big surprise waiting for them in world-famous tracks like the Nurburgring.
News
Tesla back on top as Norway’s EV market surges to 98% share in February
Tesla became Norway’s top-selling brand with 1,210 registrations, representing a 16.6% share.
Tesla reclaimed the top spot in Norway’s auto market in February as electric vehicles captured more than 98% of all new car registrations.
The rebound follows a sharp January slump triggered by VAT rule changes, which prompted numerous car buyers to advance their purchases into late 2025.
As per data from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV), 7,127 new electric vehicles were registered in February, representing a 98.01% market share. Fossil-fuel vehicles and hybrids accounted for just 2% of total new registrations.
Total new car registrations reached 7,272 units in February, hinting at a rapid recovery after January sales fell nearly 75% year-over-year following VAT adjustments.
OFV Director Geir Inge Stokke noted that similar patterns were observed after previous VAT changes in 2022, with demand temporarily weakening before normalizing, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
“We are now seeing signs that the market is returning to a more normal level of activity, which we also experienced after the VAT change in 2022. At that time, changes in demand led to a weak start to 2023. We have seen the same pattern this year,” he said.
Amidst this trend, the Tesla Model Y made a strong comeback in the domestic market. After an unusually weak January that saw the Tesla Model Y drop to seventh place, the model returned to the top of Norway’s sales chart in February.
The Model Y recorded 1,073 registrations, giving it a 14.8% market share for the month. Tesla also became Norway’s top-selling brand with 1,210 registrations, representing a 16.6% share. Toyota followed with 941 registrations, while Volkswagen, Volvo, and Skoda rounded out the top five brands.
The February data suggests that Tesla’s January dip was tied more to timing effects around VAT adjustments than to structural demand shifts. It would then be interesting to see how the rest of the year unfolds for Tesla, particularly as the company pushes for the release of its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system to Europe this year.
News
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.
Tesla back on top as Norway’s EV market surges to 98% share in February
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
