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If you’re into EVs or sports cars, then you’ve definitely seen the commotion Ferrari’s the first purely electric car, the Luce. The backlash was swift and scathing for the five-seater EV designed by the Apple veteran Jony Ive and a price close to $650,000.
Ferrari fans expressed horror, critics compared it to the much cheaper Nissan Leaf, memes were created, even a car designer (Lucid’s Derek Jenkins) cast some shade.
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane asked a different question as the big Ferrari Luce debate rocked the internet: Who is the Luce for?
You’ll have to read the full story to see his full breakdown. But in my view, the more important question is whether the Luce is for existing Ferrari owners. After all, Ferrari owners often own more than one. More than 80% of the 14,000 people who bought a Ferrari last year already own one of its vehicles, O’Kane notes.
According to Ferrari, there is demand for the EV. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna claims Luce is already accepting orders from old and new customers. Assuming demand exceeds the number of Luce EVs the automaker plans to build, the next question is who will Ferrari choose? (IYKYK)
Ferrari could be vindicated. Do you remember the Ferrari Purosangue, which was widespread when it was released several years ago? This SUV is now considered a success. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if a product is hated. Ferrari doesn’t need universal approval. it just needs enough buyers.
Let’s jump from EVs to AVs.
A new one Texas the law allows the Department of Motor Vehicles agency to exert more control over the testing and development of autonomous vehicles in the state. Companies now have to license AVs in the state and the data is public. Here’s what I found after spending some time with the AV monitoring tool.
Waymo is far and away the leader with 577 AVs registered, followed by Avride with 317, Nuro with 47, and Tesla with 42. Self-driving truck companies Dawn, Gatik AI, Kodiak AIand Waabi can also be found. (For all the details, you can read my story.)
Fleet size is only one measure — and it certainly doesn’t always translate to whoever has the most wins. After all, many of these companies have not started commercial services in the state.
I’m much more interested in the ability to complain in this new tool, which is also a public record. To date, no complaints have been filed against the companies listed above.
Offers!
A new single fund that manages Equip the chapter has taken a majority stake to the European e-scooter operator Ryde technology. Goldman Sachs Alternatives is the lead investor.
Harley-Davidson’s spinoff electric motorcycle LiveWire acquired off-road electric start Dust Moto. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Matternetan autonomous drone delivery company, raised $33 million in a private placement offering and completed a reverse merger with Los Altos Ventures Corp.
Revelthe electric vehicle charging company that shut down its ride-hailing business last August is merging with Voltera. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the combined business will operate under the Voltera brand and be led by Revel CEO Frank Reig. Bloomberg reported.
CompletelyGerman drone manufacturer, is in talks to raise at least 300 million euros ($350 million), a round that could double its valuation to 2.5 billion euros, the Financial Times reported.
Volara Motorsports Groupa motorsport and performance focused holding company; acquired Lynx Motor Works, an Austin, Texas-based company that builds limited-edition classic vehicles, reimagined.
WeRoadthe Milan-based group adventure travel startup has raised $58 million in a Series C round led by Airbnb. The funding brings the company’s total capital raised to approximately $100 million and will fund WeRoad’s US push, starting in Austin.
Notable reads and other items
American Airlines will install Starlink on more than 500 Airbus narrow-body aircraft starting early next year, the latest carrier to choose the SpaceX unit for in-flight Wi-Fi service. The deal provides a financial boost for Starlink, the satellite communications network and SpaceX’s only significant revenue-generating business unit.
Rivian said it will begin deliveries of its new R2 SUV on June 9. Meanwhile, Rivian is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over how the EV maker maintains its vehicles’ rear suspension components.
Slate Auto is expected to announce pricing and begin accepting non-refundable pre-orders for its low-cost electric vehicle on June 24. Deliveries are supposed to take place later in the year.
Volvo Cars received regulatory approval from the Department of Commerce that allows the Swedish automaker, which is majority owned by China’s Geely Holding, to continue importing and selling its vehicles in the United States. A law, finalized in January 2025, effectively bans nearly all Chinese vehicles from the US market as part of a crackdown on connected car technology linked to China.
Waymo has begun giving select riders in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco access to its newest robotaxi: an all-electric minivan-like vehicle designed to keep costs down and handle the use and abuse of hundreds of thousands of riders. I had the opportunity to drive in the vehicle, a modified minivan from Zeekr called the Ojai (pronounced oh-hi). Stay tuned for my full review, which will be out this weekend. Here’s a teaser: Robotaxis has long been suffering from a magical problem. This Ojai robotaxi is starting to solve that.
One more thing…
It’s poll time! Maybe you secretly like the Ferrari Luce and just don’t want to be trolled. Maybe you hate it. We asked our newsletter readers to share their thoughts.
Subscribe to the Mobility newsletter to take part in our polls!
And now one more thing, for real this time. Last week, I asked our newsletter readers, “Will SpaceX and Tesla Merge?” Here’s how they responded. Over 51% chose “Yes, within two years”. 34% chose ‘never’; and 14.5% chose ‘Yes, this year’. This means that more than 65% believe that a merger is inevitable.
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