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Lamborghini outlines massive $1.8 billion plan to shift to electrification

Credit: Lamborghini

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Lamborghini is planning to shift from gas-powered to electric for its world-class supercars. The company recently outlined a $1.8 billion plan, its largest in history, to shift away from combustion engines and toward electrification.

CEO and President of Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann, presented the company’s plan to decarbonize its future models. Known as “Direzione Cour Tauri,” or “Towards Cor Tauri,” the roadmap shows how the Italian automaker plans to begin electrifying its fleet by utilizing its carbon-neutral site at Sant’Agata Bolognese in Northern Italy. The site has been free of CO2 emissions since 2015 and is the location of the Lamborghini Museum.

The focus is simple: continue making the legendary, high-performance cars that Lamborghini is known for, but make them environmentally friendly. Lamborghini will continue to identify technologies and solutions that guarantee top performance and driving dynamics that align with its “marque’s tradition.” A $1.8 billion (€1.5 billion) investment will be spread over four years.

It seems, according to Lamborghini’s press release on the matter, that the main goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by the beginning of 2025. While Lamborghini will celebrate the combustion engine that has brought it to the peak of automotive performance, it plans to bring a fourth fully electric model in the latter portion of the decade.

Winkelmann said:

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Lamborghini’s electrification plan is a newly-plotted course, necessary in the context of a radically changing world, where we want to make our contribution by continuing to reduce environmental impact through concrete projects. Our response is a plan with a 360-degree approach, encompassing our products and our Sant’Agata Bolognese location, taking us towards a more sustainable future while always remaining faithful to our DNA. Lamborghini has always been synonymous with preeminent technological expertise in building engines boasting extraordinary performance: this commitment will continue as an absolute priority of our innovation trajectory. Today’s promise, supported by the largest investment plan in the brand’s history, reinforces our deep dedication to not only our customers, but also to our fans, our people, and their families, as well as to the territory where the company was born in Emilia-Romagna and to Made in Italy excellence.”

Credit: Lamborghini

Lamborghini will complete the process in three phases: a celebration of the combustion engine from 2021 to 2022, a Hybrid transition that will have the company launch its first hybrid series production car in 2023 with the rest of the fleet being fully electric by the end of 2024, and finally, the first fully electric Lamborghini to be released in the second half of the decade.

The celebration of the combustion engine may appear to be somewhat ironic in Lamborghini’s plan to launch an electric fleet. However, the company intends to pay tribute to the success that was provided by combustion engine vehicles. It will announce two new V12 models later this year.

The Hybrid transition that is planned to occur by the end of 2024 will fuel the company’s initial attempts to develop a hybrid series production car. This timeframe will be crucial for engineers to learn how to develop high-performance vehicles while compensating for additional weight provided by the battery pack.

Finally, the first all-electric Lamborghini will be introduced in the second half of the 2020s. “Acceleration in the second part of the decade will be dedicated to full-electric vehicles, with the vision of a fourth model in the future. Once again, technological innovation in this phase will be oriented towards ensuring remarkable performance and positioning the new product at the top of its segment. This is how Lamborghini sees the culmination of this part of its journey: Cor Tauri, the brightest star in the constellation to which the company’s roadmap points, is represented by a fourth fully-electric model,” the company said.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla FSD’s new Mad Max mode is getting rave reviews from users

It does appear that Mad Max mode is destined to be one of the system’s biggest steps forward to date.

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Credit: Whole Mars Catalog/X

Tesla’s release notes for the newly released Mad Max mode for FSD (Supervised) V14.1.2 simply stated that the feature “comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.” But as per videos that have been posted online by FSD users who have tested the system, it does appear that Mad Max mode is destined to be one of the system’s biggest steps forward to date. 

It is then no surprise that the new capability is getting rave reviews from Tesla owners. 

Impressive tests

A look at posts on social media platform X would show that, similar to past FSD releases, numerous Tesla content creators immediately tested Mad Max mode on real-world streets after it was downloaded onto their vehicle. Considering that the update was released rather late, the first tests of Mad Max mode were done at night. Despite this, it was evident that Tesla worked very hard to make Mad Max mode into something that is very useful in real-world scenarios.

This could be seen in videos from longtime Tesla owner @BLKMDL3, who observed that Max Max mode was “amazing” and like “perfect for LA traffic” due to its cautious but assertive nature. Later on, the Tesla owner noted that after eight drives, it was evident that FSD (Supervised) V14.1.2 was impressive. 

Assertive but safe

Other testers such as Model Y owner Sawyer Merritt noted that Mad Max mode drives very quickly and confidently, with smoother acceleration that is still very safe. These were echoed by another longtime FSD tester, Dirty Tesla, who noted that Mad Max mode seems to be designed for heavy, aggressive traffic so users could fit in better. The FSD user did, however, observe that Mad Max mode does speed up a lot on open roads. 

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Recent comments from Tesla AI Head Ashok Elluswamy have indicated that Mad Max mode was created to be a solution for daytime congested traffic, which is arguably one of the most soul-crushing experiences that drivers deal with on a daily basis. With this in mind, it does appear that FSD (Supervised) V14.1.2 could prove to be a notable step forward in Tesla’s push towards true autonomous driving.

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Elon Musk highlights the biggest flaw in X’s monetization program

Elon Musk also stated that YouTube manages creator payments “much better.”

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MINISTÉRIO DAS COMUNICAÇÕES, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk has admitted that X’s creator payout system isn’t living up to expectations, and he has highlighted the current system’s biggest flaw. 

Amidst complaints about low and inconsistent payments, the platform’s owner acknowledged that X has been “underpaying and not allocating payment accurately enough.” Musk also stated that YouTube manages creator payments “much better.”

Musk acknowledges payout issues

Recent discussions about the social media platform’s payout issues began when X product head Nikita Bier stated that the company was developing new upgrades for “power users.” This prompted X user Peter Duan to raise ongoing concerns about being “consistently underpaid” compared to his peers. Bier responded candidly, suggesting that “creator payouts do more harm than good and we need to off-ramp to a different system.”

Musk then weighed in on the matter, contradicting Bier’s view. “No,” Musk wrote in his reply, “the issue is that we are underpaying and not allocating payment accurately enough. YouTube does a much better job.” The Tesla CEO’s comment immediately reignited debates about X’s monetization program, which some have criticized for its rather unpredictable nature.

X’s monetization challenges

Since X launched its ad revenue-sharing program in 2023, the system has promised to reward Premium subscribers who generate high engagement with verified accounts, as noted in a WION report. Creators, however, have argued that the company’s payout model has remained inconsistent, with revenue fluctuating even when view counts stay stable. Reports have noted that some users with millions of monthly impressions have received just a few hundred dollars.

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By contrast, YouTube’s Partner Program, which takes a 45% cut of ad revenue, is known for more transparent and predictable payments. Musk’s admission that YouTube handles monetization more effectively could then hint at a potential shift towards a new monetization program for X, a platform that has become increasingly critical to social conversations over the years. 

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Tesla exec hints at FSD Mad Max mode’s killer feature

The release notes of Tesla’s v14.1.2 FSD update indicate that Mad Max mode “comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.”

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Credit: @BLKMDL3/X

Tesla may have just rolled out its boldest Full Self-Driving (FSD) upgrade yet, but the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, hinted at the recently released “Mad Max” mode’s actual killer feature.

As per the Tesla executive, FSD’s Mad Max mode is designed to provide drivers with optimum driving performance during what are commonly the most tedious driving conditions on real-world roads.

Where Mad Max mode truly shines

Tesla drivers and longtime FSD users responded positively to the rollout of Mad Max mode. The performance of the update was so notable that @WholeMarsBlog, a longtime FSD tester, described it as epic. The FSD tester’s comments were posted on X as videos of Mad Max mode’s real-world performance were being shared online.

In response to the Tesla owner and longtime FSD tester, Elluswamy noted that drivers would probably love Mad Max mode even more during daytime hours, when traffic is denser. “You’ll love it more during day time / denser traffic. Really showcases its decision making,” the Tesla executive wrote in his post.

The release notes of Tesla’s v14.1.2 FSD update indicate that Mad Max mode “comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.” Videos shared online showed that Mad Max mode, despite its assertive driving style, is still a very cautious and safe driver, similar to past FSD releases.

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Made for real-world traffic and long commutes

Traffic congestion typically peaks during daytime hours, when drivers could at times spend hours navigating crowded intersections and fast-changing lanes. For many Tesla owners, having an FSD mode that can confidently manage that chaos could be a game-changer.

Simply put, the feature’s extra assertiveness could allow Mad Max mode to excel in the kind of traffic that tests even the most patient drivers. By improving decision-making in those conditions, the company may be positioning FSD as a true solution for the everyday stress of stop-and-go commutes, packed freeways, and unpredictable city driving.

The “Mad Max” name itself isn’t new. Elon Musk first teased it back in 2018 as a playful nod to aggressive freeway driving. Its reappearance in Tesla’s modern FSD system, however, hints at the notable maturation of Tesla’s autonomous driving efforts over the years.

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