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Italian luxury automaker Maserati has created a bespoke version of its new, all-electric GranCabrio Folgore convertible to nod to its country’s expertise in quality wines. The one-of-a-kind Maserati BEV was designed in honor of Tignanello wine in collaboration with Marchesi Antinori, which makes it.

The Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is the third all-electric model from the Trident brand as it quickly segues into full electrification across its lineup. This BEV couple convertible sits atop Maserati’s proprietary 800V platform, packing three electric motors and some serious power to boot.

Earlier this month, we traveled to Northern Italy to test the GranCabrio Folgore and were quite impressed with its design and performance. You can read more about that experience here.

When we were done driving the Maserati convertibles, much of our visit included experiencing the beauty of Italy and its culture, which included plenty of wine. With a family history in wine dating back over 600 years, Marchesi Antinori is a proud symbol of Italian culture.

To honor that legacy and celebrate 50 years of Marchesi Antinori’s distinct red wine, Tignanello, Maserati’s custom design team, created a bespoke version of the GranCabrio Folgore, which it will auction off for charity this month.

Maserati BEVs and red wine are a perfect pairing

Per Maserati, the Antinori family’s Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques and the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional grape varieties (specifically Cabernet). It was also and one of the first reds wines from Chianti Classico that did not use white grapes.

The wine, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, is crafted from a distinct selection of Sangiovese and Cabernet grapes harvested from a vineyard located on Tenuta Tignanello, in the heart of Chianti Classico. This attention to detail in winemaking is a similar approach Maserati takes to its vehicle design process, especially within its Fuoriserie customization program.

As such, the Maserati team has designed a completely bespoke custom version of the all-electric convertible inspired by Tignanello wine, its vineyards, cellars, and even its classic label. Per Maserati:

The exteriors of GranCabrio Folgore Tignanello translate into a customisation of the body colour, created ad hoc: the Terra di Tignanello paint is a chestnut colour inspired by the vineyard’s soil, warmed by a coppery burgundy reminiscent of the central red shades of Tignanello’s characteristic barriques. It has a rich, metallic tint; a prestigious colour inspired by the estate and the atmosphere of the winery. The rims and callipers come in matte and gloss black respectively, whereas the emblems are coloured copper, with the Maserati logo in glossy copper on a gloss background. The soft top fabric is also black.

The seats feature leather embellished with a multi-material silver and burgundy ribbed weave, made of Vegea, an innovative spreadable fabric derived from the vineyards.

As you can see in the comparison images above, the Maserati convertible’s seats feature leather and a silver and burgundy ribbed weave made of Vegea – a spreadable fabric derived from wine vineyards, inspired by the barrels that age the Tignanello.

The video below shows more details of the custom GranCabrio Folgore Tignanello up close. Or, if you happen to be in California’s wine country this month, see the Maserati up close at the Festival Napa Valley’s “Arts for All Gala,” where it will be auctioned off on July 14. All proceeds will go to charity.

Source: Maserati

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The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

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The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.

He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them. Just one spin of one of the rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day.

When it’s finished, He Dreiht will have 64 mega turbines cranking out 960 megawatts (MW) of clean power – enough to supply around 1.1 million homes. And it’s being built without any government subsidies.

EnBW, one of Germany’s major energy companies, has been working in offshore wind for more than 15 years, but He Dreiht is their biggest project yet. “It will play a key role in helping us to significantly grow our renewable energy output from 6.6 GW to over 10 GW by 2030,” said Michael Class, who heads up EnBW’s generation portfolio development.

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The project is a win for Vestas, too. “With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone for both the He Dreiht project and our offshore ramp-up, which helps Germany build a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.

He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.

The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.

A partner consortium made up of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management owns 49.9% of the shares in He Dreiht.

Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build


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Tesla gives update on Tesla Semi factory, says on track for volume production in 2026

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Tesla gives update on Tesla Semi factory, says on track for volume production in 2026

Tesla has released a quick update about its Tesla Semi factory in Nevada. It says that it is on track for volume production of the electric semi truck in 2026.

The Tesla Semi was first scheduled to go into production in 2019, but it has faced numerous delays.

Now, it appears that there is finally some momentum to bring it to volume production.

For the last two years, Tesla has been working to build a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, where it builds the battery packs and drive units for most of its electric vehicles built in North America.

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Today, Tesla released a “progress update on the factory, confirming that it finished building and it’s now working on deploying the production lines:

Tesla had previously mentioned aiming for volume production by 2025, but it is now only talking about starting production toward the end of the year and ramping up next year.

The automaker reiterated its planned production capacity of 50,000 units.

We recently reported that an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, stated that the electric truck program is experiencing more delays and a price increase described as “dramatic.”

They now expect to take deliveries of their first trucks later in 2026 and said that the price has increased “dramatically,” leading them to scale back their pilot program from 42 to 18 Tesla Semi trucks.

When originally unveiling the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker mentioned prices of $150,000 for a 300-mile range truck and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Tesla also took orders for a “Founder’s Series Semi” at $200,000.

However, Tesla didn’t update the prices when launching the “production version” of the truck in late 2022. Price increases have been speculated, but the company has never confirmed them.

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Vietnamese solar giant Boviet opens first US factory in North Carolina

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Vietnamese solar giant Boviet opens first US factory in North Carolina

Vietnamese solar panel maker Boviet Solar just opened the doors to its first US factory — a huge new PV module plant in Greenville, North Carolina.

The company dropped $294 million into the state-of-the-art facility, which will pump out Boviet’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial solar panels. They’re using advanced PERC and N-Type solar cell tech, which basically means these panels are built to deliver higher efficiency and better performance across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.

The Greenville factory’s first phase is now online with an annual PV module output capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). For Phase 2, which is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2026, Boviet will invest another $100 million to add 600,000 square feet and ramp up to another 2 GW. It will make high-efficiency solar cells.

Once both phases are complete, Boviet’s campus will cover more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and R&D space. It’s one of the biggest clean energy manufacturing projects North Carolina has ever seen.

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The jobs impact is significant, too. The first phase will create 460 skilled local jobs. Phase 2 is expected to add another 908, bringing the total to over 1,300 direct jobs, plus nearly 2,000 more indirect jobs across the region. That’s good news for Pitt County’s economy, real estate market, and workforce training programs.

“This facility is not just creating jobs, but creating opportunity, innovation, and a stronger foundation for eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Kandie Smith. Governor Josh Stein added that Boviet Solar’s move shows how North Carolina is leading the way in clean energy growth.

Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus


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