With a long history of making waves with its traffic-stopping designs and innovative tech, Lamborghini has unveiled its latest creation, the Sian hybrid supercar! As expected, the Sian hybrid has ditched the traditional battery pack in favor of a supercapacitor to power its electric motor. Hybrids typically use a lithium-ion battery pack to store energy. Then, where applicable, it transfers electrical current to a motor to help the gas-powered engine or take over propulsion entirely. It's a system that has successfully improved gas mileage and sold over six million Toyota Prius. Keeping all this in mind, Lamborghini still decided to go with a supercapacitor instead of the traditional battery.
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According to Lamborghini, the supercapacitor provides up to three times the power of a battery pack from the same weight and packaging. Additionally, this new supercapacitor stores and discharges energy much quicker, allowing the spent force to be fully regenerated quickly during standard braking and is very useful for cornering. When the vehicle turns a corner, the driver applies the breaks and replenishes any spent energy. When the driver accelerates out of the corner, all the available power will be there for acceleration. The process then repeats itself when the driver breaks for the next curve. Also, the supercapacitor doesn't cool down like a traditional battery, meaning its ready to go always.
Via www.forbes.com
The 48-volt motor is installed into the gearbox and provides an additional 34 horsepower bringing the total output of the V12 Sian to 819 horsepower. While that is a small amount, the extra horsepower allows the sports car to get to 60 mph in under 2.8 seconds which dominates the competition. But that's not all! The all-new electric motor drops the number of torque hits when the gears shift. So those momentary losses, which are then followed by an explosion of power, that you feel in the car as it speeds up, is reduced thanks to Lamborghini's hybrid system. The net result is additional traction over a traditional gas engine as the tires are not tasked with handling torque hits while accelerating. Meaning the contact patches are under less stress and the rubber of the tires is less likely to break free from the asphalt.
Our intel from Lamborghini Broward (Davie, FL), is that the Sian hybrid is limited to just 63 vehicles, so it will be a very exclusive coming-out party for the company's electrification plans. Lamborghini is ready to push the boundaries of its cars while still staying true to the automakers' brand. The company's skill and willingness to experiment has given its very dedicated fan base a reason to keep coming back year after year. The host of technologies may or may not find their way to passengers’ vehicles here in the States, but until then other automakers are tasked with coming up with cars that sell hundreds of thousands while still exploring new technologies that other consumers want. Lamborghini's supercapacitor might find a home in pickup trucks a few years down the line towing a horse trailer. Research for this type of technology has to start somewhere, and fortunately its starting in Lamborghinis version of the Batmobile.