Supercapacitors and glow-in-the-dark bodywork rumored, too.
We know there's a hybrid Lamborghini Aventador successor coming sometime
between 2020 and 2022. Due to deleted Instagram posts and fissures in
the rumor-verse, we expect a hypercar codenamed LB48H to preview the
next electrified V12 Lamborghini. Autocar reports the next model in the
Italian carmaker's series of low-volume specials will cost about $2.6
million, making it just another walk in the hypercar park as for price.
The weird part is where Road & Track, referencing "a source familiar
with Lamborghini's plans," says the LB48H will glow in the dark.
The source didn't elaborate, so not even RT knows what that means. The
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept from 2017 revealed a smattering of
Tron-like light sculpture in its launch video. The wheels and engine bay
glow, illuminated Italian flag graphics mark the front fenders, LED
piping runs down the centerline. But lights don't come under the
traditional definition of "glow in the dark." If the LB48H really does
sport some kind of overall incandescence, well, we're about to enter a
new chapter in hypercars.
Other questions remain about how the LB48H will preview the future of
Sant' Agata. The company's head of R&D has bemoaned the weight of
batteries, admitting that the best-case scenario for the coming
series-production hybrid V12 flagship means an additional 330 to 440
pounds.
It's thought that the hypercar will use supercapacitors instead of
batteries, providing a lightweight solution that would also showcase
future technical potential. The all-electric Terzo Millennio employed
nascent supercapacitor tech Lamborghini has been developing with MIT.
That solution's upside is lighter size and weight compared to batteries,
longer service life, a supercapacitor's fast charge and discharge
ability, and the fact that it can discharge and recover energy at the
same time. The downside is that supercapacitors have low energy density
compared to lithium-ion batteries, so it's possible the LB48H could use a
battery and a supercapacitor to work a 49-horsepower motor aiding an
789-hp V12.
The production V12 is expected to get a more mundane solution.
Lamborghini's looking ahead to cities mandating a minimum all-electric
range up to 31 miles. One idea in play is a split hybrid layout, with an
electric motor in charge of the front axle. That eliminates a prop
shaft, and sharpens front axle response and torque vectoring. However,
without a front transmission, a split system loses efficiency when
approaching the triple-digit speeds integral to the brand. The other
option would be a more traditional blended hybrid.
Lamborghini's said to have shown the LB48H to prospective buyers in
June. We should see the real thing and its possibly glowing carbon fiber
soon.
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