Lambo details first PHEV system
New V12 engine, three electric motors and more combine for 1000bhp supercar
Lamborghini’s first plug-in hybrid will have a new V12 engine and three electric motors producing a combined 1000bhp, making it the company’s most potent supercar yet.
The replacement for the Aventador, codenamed LB744, begins the electrification of the Italian marque’s core line-up while also allowing its signature V12 engine to “live on”, rather than being killed off by increasingly strict emissions regulations.
To be fully revealed later this month, the supercar is “completely new from the ground up”, chief technical officer Rouven Mohr has previously told Autocar, with nothing carried over from its 12-year-old predecessor. Here are some of the highlights of Lamborghini’s maiden PHEV powertrain.
Engine
This new, lighter 6.5-litre V12 is central to the PHEV’s performance. It weighs 218kg – 17kg less than the Aventador’s V12, while still producing 813bhp at 9250rpm and 535lb ft at 6750rpm. Its redline is at a staggering 9500rpm.
Gearbox
As the battery takes up the gearbox’s usual home, a new, more compact one has been developed. The compact eight-speed dual-clutch automatic unit, which measures just 56cm long and 75cm wide, is transversely mounted behind the V12.
Exhaust
A pair of chunky, hexagonal exhausts – similar in shape but squatter than the Aventador’s – sit high, alongside the tail-lights. Lamborghini says they will help emit an “unmistakable” sound from the new V12.
Electric motors
A trio of EV motors – two driving the front axle and one gearbox-mounted driving the rear – supplement the V12 for a combined output of 1000bhp. As well as reducing CO2 emissions (30% down on the Aventador), they boost low-end torque by 258lb ft.
Battery
To keep the car’s centre of gravity as low as possible, the 3.8kWh battery is mounted in the transmission tunnel. It can be charged by an external current or by regenerative braking and the V12, and it can power the car alone at low speeds.
New-look flagship will be unveiled very soon