Connect with us

News

Tesla has proven itself, but Ferrari & Lamborghini says EVs can’t be supercars

Published

on

In a rather rare act of solidarity, rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini have agreed on one thing: neither one would be making an all-electric supercar in the near future. Both companies note that electric car technology is not there yet to warrant an initiative to create a born-and-bred supercar.

Citing a rather dated example for the limitations of electric cars, the supercar makers noted that true high-performance vehicles need to be capable of launching multiple times in full power, over and over again, in both straights and corners. This is a limitation that was true for vehicles like the Tesla Model S, which is a monster in straight line races but compromised in closed circuits. These issues have largely been solved in more recent vehicles like the Model 3 Performance, an all-electric car that is capable of besting other high-performance sedans on a track.

The supercar makers also noted that the lack of sound from a roaring V12 or a supercharged V8 is a great part of the supercar experience, and this is something that is mostly absent in electric vehicles. Commenting on faux engine noises pumped into the cabin similar to the ones employed in the BMW i8, Ferrari’s chief technology officer, Michael Hugo, noted at the Geneva Motor Show that “we have to have a certain credibility.”

Maurizio Reggiani, chief technical officer at Lamborghini also noted that the big battery packs required of electric cars could compromise some of the brand’s design elements. Lamborghinis are already very low on the ground, and the CTO noted that stuffing a battery pack on the floor would sacrifice the benefit of a low center of gravity that the company’s wedge-shaped supercars enjoy.

Quite interestingly, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume noted in the 2019 Annual Press Conference that emotion in cars is not just about the noise that an engine makes. It is also about design, quality, driving characteristics, and the holistic experience of driving the vehicle. Porsche is hardly a neophyte in terms of creating supercars either, with vehicles like the 919 Hybrid and the 918 Spyder under its belt, so Blume’s statement could be taken with a notable amount of legitimacy.

Advertisement
-->

RELATED: Exclusive: Porsche’s electric heart beats in the Taycan’s Zuffenhausen factory

It is a bit disappointing to see Ferrari and Lamborghini dismiss electric propulsion at this stage in the game. Just last week, Germany’s big three, Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler, all decided that electric cars are the way forward, signifying an upcoming industry shift. What is somewhat surprising from Ferrari and Lamborghini’s recent comments was the fact that the companies seemed to have completely ignored the existence of all-electric supercars that are present today.

There’s the Rimac C_Two from Croatia, which matches and even exceeds any Lamborgini and Ferrari in terms of its explosive power. There’s the Nio EP9 that conquered the Nurburgring’s records. There’s even the Pininfarina Battista, an all-electric 1,900 bhp monster that can hit 186 mph in less than 12 seconds. All of these vehicles are fully electric.

Of course, there is also the next-generation Tesla Roadster, which goes from 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds at its base form. Elon Musk dubbed the vehicle as a “hardcore smackdown” to gasoline cars, and in terms of specs, it’s downright frightening, from its 250+ mph top speed, and its higher trims, one of which is called the “SpaceX package,” which uses literal rocket technology from Musk’s private rocket company. The Rimac C_Two is expected to start deliveries in 2020, the same year as the next-gen Roadster. The NIO EP9 has been around since 2016, and the Pininfarina Battista is expected to arrive in 2020.

So much for electric car technology not being there yet.

Advertisement
-->

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla adjusts crucial feature as winter weather arrives

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Cybertruck Owners Club Forum user CybertruckCovers

Tesla has adjusted the functionality of a crucial climate feature as Winter weather has started to arrive throughout some parts of the United States. The new feature was highly requested by owners.

Tesla has a Cabin Overheat Protection feature that helps keep the temperature regulated if it reaches a certain threshold. Inversely, it can be used in cold weather as well, which will automatically warm the cabin if it sinks to a temperature that is too low for the owner’s comfort.

This is a great way to keep the cabin either warmed up just enough or cooled down just enough so that it never gets too hot or too cold. Extreme temperatures could damage certain parts of the vehicle or damage personal belongings that are kept inside the car.

Overheat protection is a great thing to have in hot climates like Arizona or Texas, especially with the Premium trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, which feature a glass roof.

Many owners appreciate the feature, but they argue that using it at home will utilize too much energy, especially during extreme temperatures. For a while, many Tesla fans have requested an option to disable this feature when the car is parked at home, which the company recently added, according to Not a Tesla App.

Advertisement
-->

The feature is part of Software Version 2025.44.3, and the release notes state:

“You can now choose Exclude Home when Cabin Overheat Protection or No A/C is enabled.”

Tesla has been great at listening to what owners want with new features, and this is one that will reserve some charge and prevent unnecessary utilization of available power, especially as the car is parked at home. If owners want to condition the cabin or get the car ready for operation with a comfortable interior, they can utilize the Tesla app to adjust the climate.

Advertisement
-->
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends rivals dire warning about Full Self-Driving

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed today on the social media platform X that legacy automakers, such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, do not want to license the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, at least not without a long list of their own terms.

“I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy,” Musk said on X. “When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless.”

Musk made the remark in response to a note we wrote about earlier today from Melius Research, in which analyst Rob Wertheimer said, “Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is,” in terms of autonomy and self-driving development.

Wertheimer believes there are hundreds of billions of dollars in value headed toward Tesla’s way because of its prowess with FSD.

A few years ago, Musk first remarked that Tesla was in early talks with one legacy automaker regarding licensing Full Self-Driving for its vehicles. Tesla never confirmed which company it was, but given Musk’s ongoing talks with Ford CEO Jim Farley at the time, it seemed the Detroit-based automaker was the likely suspect.

Tesla’s Elon Musk reiterates FSD licensing offer for other automakers

Advertisement
-->

Ford has been perhaps the most aggressive legacy automaker in terms of its EV efforts, but it recently scaled back its electric offensive due to profitability issues and weak demand. It simply was not making enough vehicles, nor selling the volume needed to turn a profit.

Musk truly believes that many of the companies that turn their backs on FSD now will suffer in the future, especially considering the increased chance it could be a parallel to what has happened with EV efforts for many of these companies.

Unfortunately, they got started too late and are now playing catch-up with Tesla, XPeng, BYD, and the other dominating forces in EVs across the globe.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla backtracks on strange Nav feature after numerous complaints

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is backtracking on a strange adjustment it made to its in-car Navigation feature after numerous complaints from owners convinced the company to make a change.

Tesla’s in-car Navigation is catered to its vehicles, as it routes Supercharging stops and preps your vehicle for charging with preconditioning. It is also very intuitive, and features other things like weather radar and a detailed map outlining points of interest.

However, a recent change to the Navigation by Tesla did not go unnoticed, and owners were really upset about it.

Tesla’s Navigation gets huge improvement with simple update

For trips that required multiple Supercharger stops, Tesla decided to implement a naming change, which did not show the city or state of each charging stop. Instead, it just showed the business where the Supercharger was located, giving many owners an unwelcome surprise.

Advertisement
-->

However, Tesla’s Director of Supercharging, Max de Zegher, admitted the update was a “big mistake on our end,” and made a change that rolled out within 24 hours:

The lack of a name for the city where a Supercharging stop would be made caused some confusion for owners in the short term. Some drivers argued that it was more difficult to make stops at some familiar locations that were special to them. Others were not too keen on not knowing where they were going to be along their trip.

Tesla was quick to scramble to resolve this issue, and it did a great job of rolling it out in an expedited manner, as de Zegher said that most in-car touch screens would notice the fix within one day of the change being rolled out.

Advertisement
-->

Additionally, there will be even more improvements in December, as Tesla plans to show the common name/amenity below the site name as well, which will give people a better idea of what to expect when they arrive at a Supercharger.

Continue Reading