- Lamborghini proclaims a brand new, hybridized 6.5-liter V-12 powertrain that makes as much as 1001 horsepower.
- It options three electrical motors, two up entrance and one built-in to a brand new, Lamborghini-designed, eight-speed double-clutch transmission.
- The total automobile will likely be proven—and its title revealed—on the finish of the month.
We won’t present you what the substitute for the Lamborghini Aventador appears to be like like but, and even inform you its title—the corporate refers to it completely by the inner code, LB744. However we are able to share particulars on its extraordinary new plug-in-hybrid powertrain.
The excellent news is the continued existence of a naturally aspirated V-12 engine, one which has been core to the attraction of the corporate’s costlier fashions since its basis. The brand new 6.5-liter L545 engine is successfully a heavy improvement of the one which powered the Aventador, however with extra energy, extra revs, much less weight, and a compression ratio raised to 12.6:1. Lamborghini says the brand new engine’s mass of 481 kilos makes it 37 kilos lighter than the Aventador’s V-12, whereas its energy output has elevated to 814 horsepower delivered at a searing 9250 rpm—with the limiter not calling time till 9500 rpm. It additionally makes a peak of 535 pound-feet of torque at 6750 rpm. However whereas the Aventador’s V-12 despatched energy ahead to a single-clutch gearbox positioned forward of it, the brand new engine has been flipped by 180 levels, with energy going by means of a brand new, Lamborghini-designed eight-speed dual-clutch transmission mounted transversely behind it.
However this V-12 is just one a part of the brand new powertrain, being assisted by no fewer than three electrical motors. On the entrance, a pair of axial-flux motors energy every wheel individually, permitting torque vectoring. There is no such thing as a mechanical hyperlink from the engine to the entrance axle; the LB744’s all-wheel-drive system is at all times half electrical.
On the again, a 3rd motor is included into the transmission, which because of a intelligent clutching mechanism can change between appearing as starter motor and generator or including energy to the rear axle. Every motor can ship as much as 148 horsepower, though the mixed peak is at all times lower than 3 times that as a result of present circulate supported by the battery. The utmost mixed output is quoted as an impressively potent 1001 horsepower—barely greater than the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.
Electrical cost is saved in a compact 3.8-kWh battery pack that sits in what would beforehand have been thought of the transmission tunnel inside the cabin, permitting a low seating place on both facet of it. Lamborghini hasn’t launched a weight declare for the battery, however for reference the claimed capability is way lower than the corresponding figures for the Ferrari 296GTB and SF90, and likewise the McLaren Artura, suggesting the Lambo’s must be lighter and supply fewer electrical miles. We do have weight figures for the entrance motors—41 kilos—and the double-clutch transmission, which is 425 kilos together with the load of the integral electrical motor.
When depleted, the battery might be recharged from a socket, through regenerative braking utilizing the entrance motors, or with the V-12 appearing as a generator. The latter is claimed to fully replenish the pack in simply six minutes. Due to this fact, it must be attainable to be shortly introduced again to full power when pushed on monitor. Lamborghini additionally says the brand new DCT gearbox will assist a “steady downshifting” operate, holding the left paddle whereas decelerating progressively and choosing the bottom attainable gear as velocity falls.
Lamborghini guarantees to launch extra technical particulars of the brand new automobile earlier than the completed model is formally unveiled on the finish of the month. We’ll maintain you posted.
European Editor
Mike Duff has been writing in regards to the auto business for twenty years and calls the UK house, though he usually lives life on the street. He loves previous automobiles and journey in unlikely locations, with profession highlights together with driving to Chernobyl in a Lada.