After bringing back the half-century-old tradition of V12 cars running purely on gasoline in their early models, Italian luxury sports car designer Lamborghini has unveiled their first supercar with a charging port.
The Lamborghini Sián is a plug-in hybrid and, while it still features a V12 gasoline engine, it also has three electric motors. Together – translating to “scramble” in Spanish, according to the automaker – both systems can produce a total of 1,001 horsepower.
The car, whose price has not yet been disclosed, will offer a driving sensation that includes everything from a strong and cunning punch to a smooth and silent ride. There are a total of 13 different driving modes available in the menu. Low-speed cruising with front-wheel drive will be entirely electric, while high-powered aggressive track driving will regulate all available power from the V12 engine and electric motors.
Lamborghini’s Latest Electric Car, the Revuelto: All You Need to Know
Lamborghini, founded in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy in 1963, and still headquartered there, is not resting on its laurels: everything about this car is new, including the gas engine specially developed for this new car, according to Lamborghini’s announcement.
Even the direction of the engine inside the car is different. In previous Lamborghini V12 models, starting from the Countach, the engine’s power was sent forward towards the cars, and the transmission was located between the two seats. From there, the engine’s power was sent to the rear wheels via a spinning driveshaft or, in several new models, to all four wheels.
In the Revuelto, the engine is pointed towards the rear to make room for the battery pack. This unusual arrangement solves a puzzle: despite adding a heavy battery, it allows for an ideal weight distribution of 44% on the front wheels and 56% on the rear wheels. The power of the gas engine, along with the power from an electric motor, only goes to the rear wheels of the Revuelto through an eight-speed transmission.
Two additional electric motors provide power to each of the next wheels, providing all-wheel drive. The two independent motors on the front wheels also enable “torque vectoring,” which enhances cornering and traction for optimum handling.
The Lamborghini Revuelto is an exceptional all-electric car, delivering power and speed while retaining the style and luxury for which Lamborghini is renowned.
Lamborghini has revealed a new plug-in hybrid supercar, the Reveulto, which can be charged through a plug like an electric car, providing a certain amount of pure electric driving. However, Lamborghini has not disclosed how long the car can run solely on battery power.
Once the battery runs out of enough power to drive the car purely on electric power, it will work like a standard hybrid, switching between electric and gasoline power, or a combination of both as needed. The battery can also be recharged when the brakes are applied or when some power is taken from the gasoline engine from time to time.
To save weight, the car’s body is made of carbon fiber to a large extent, while the rear structure is made of aluminum alloys. The new V12 engine is also slightly lighter – 37.5 pounds – compared to the engine of the Aventador supercar that it is replacing.
Lamborghini’s other, less expensive supercar, the V10-powered Huracan’s plug-in replacement will be announced later. Lamborghini’s SUV, Urus, will also become a plug-in hybrid, but unlike the supercar, it will not be completely transformed into a new mode.
Lamborghini has not yet announced the price of the Reveulto, but the prices of all these new plug-in hybrid models will be compared to those replaced by them.
Stephan Winkelmann, the CEO of Lamborghini, has announced that following the production of the V12 Revuelto and V10 Huracan, both models will be manufactured on the same assembly line at Lamborghini’s headquarters. Currently, the two models are produced on separate production lines within the same building.
The new supercars will share more components with each other compared to today. However, the consolidation of parts and production lines will provide little help in offsetting the increased cost of shifting to plug-in hybrid power, Winkelmann said.
The Urus SUV, which is produced in much larger quantities compared to supercars, will continue to be built in a separate factory.
Winkelmann said that the single assembly line could be used to produce plug-in hybrid supercars instead of a traditional assembly line, with hopes of unveiling a fully electric car. The model will be a four-seater car rather than a traditional supercar.
Considering current battery technology, an electric Lamborghini supercar is not possible, Winkelmann said, because batteries are too heavy.
