Lamborghini announces hybrid vehicle development

Lamborghini roof-top photovoltaic system

Hybrid system part of plan to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions by 35 percent by 2015

By Alex Ricciuti
June 8, 2009 1:40 PM
Filed Under: European, Hybrid, Lamborghini, Supercars

When Lamborghini unveiled the Estoque Concept car last fall, it suggested, without providing any details, that a V8 hybrid version of the 4-door supercar was under consideration. Now, the exclusive Italian automaker has announced it will be developing a hybrid system for future models. Yet, still, the announcement comes with few details.

But there is ample evidence to support Lamborghini's seriousness on improving energy efficiency. For one thing, it has not only developed a plan to reduce by 35 percent the CO2 emissions of its vehicles by 2015, but as a corollary it will also be reducing the CO2 emissions of its factory by 30 percent by next year.

And that is often one of the more obscure points in all the enviro-friendly statistical hoopla automakers release about how they are managing the issue of reducing emissions. Often they are not clear about how they are improving the environmental impact of their production.

Lamborghini will also be conduction research into a hybrid system as part of a 35 million euro investment in that plan to reduce emissions in its vehicles. It cites last year's Gallardo LP 560-4 as a case in point, where non-hybrid technology was employed to deliver a 18 percent reduction in that model's CO2 emissions.

But a hybrid system will only be part of that plan to reduce vehicle emissions by 35 percent. Lamborghini will also be working on improved engine management and combustion, reducing friction and weight, employment of stop-start technology and even the introduction of bio-fuel-ready vehicles.

"Lamborghini is committed to its policy of environmental management," says the brand's President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann in the press release. "We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to the greatest possible degree."

 

Source: Lamborghini

Press Release (Click to expand)

LAMBORGHINI ANNOUNCES NEW, AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS FOR REDUCING CO2

  • 35 million Euros investments
  • The construction of a large photovoltaic plant, combined with an energy-saving project, will achieve a 30% reduction in the factory's CO2 emissions by 2010
  • Modifications to vehicles will result in a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2015

Automobili Lamborghini announces its intention to complete its program of environmental sustainability in record time by presenting new plans which will enable the company:

  • to achieve a 30% reduction, by the year 2010, in the CO2 emissions produced by its factory
  • to achieve a 35% reduction, by the year 2015, in the CO2 emissions produced by its vehicles

The plans for reducing emissions will thus involve two areas: modifications to the Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and development in vehicle design.

To redefine its industrial processes in accordance with its policy of environmental sustainability, Lamborghini has just begun a project to complete installation of a large photovoltaic system by the end of 2009.

The roof-top plant will produce 1,582 Megawatt hour (MWh) of "green" energy per year, which translates into a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions (-1,067,820 Kg/year) by 2010.

The photovoltaic systems will have a total installed power rating of 1,4 Megawatts and will extend over 17,000 m2 throughout the entire industrial area. The new system will be built by Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A.

At the same time, an equally important energy conservation project involving insulating the production facility's whole roof, improving lighting and heating and introducing destratification systems for heated air will be completed, thus resulting in a 10% energy usage reduction by 2010.

These projects represent the next step in a program that began last year with the opening of the new Lamborghini
Logistics Center. The Center has already contributed to diminishing the impact caused by heavy truck traffic on the roads between Anzola and Sant'Agata Bolognese. It is calculated that this facility has achieved a reduction of emissions by over 75 kg per annum, and nitrogen oxide by over 750 kg (Sources: Standard Euro 3).

In April 2009 Lamborghini obtained the UNI EN ISO 14001 certificate, meeting the international environmental standards. It is also the first firm in the Italian automotive sector to be close to registering for the EMAS environment certificate, having successfully completed the program: EMAS regulations are set by the European Union to support organisations in their effort to evaluate and improve their own environmental efficiency.

These recent achievements support Lamborghini's commitment to protecting the environment in which it operates, and its desire to make all stakeholders aware of its actions in a transparent manner.

With regard to Lamborghini vehicles, the CO2 reduction plan aims for an additional 35% decrease in emissions by the year 2015.

The program reached its first milestone with the Gallardo LP 560-4. Introduced last year, the new car's technical advancements resulted in an 18% reduction in CO2 emissions.

At this point, Research & Development activities will continue in the following directions:

  • decreasing vehicle mass
  • improving combustion
  • reducing friction
  • Start-and-Stop systems
  • hybrid drive train solutions
  • biofuels

Lamborghini's commitment and its sense of social responsibility regarding the environment is evidenced by the numbers and by the sheer size of the investments that are planned. 35 million Euros will be appropriated over the next five years for this purpose.

Stephan Winkelmann, the President and CEO of Lamborghini, has said, "Despite the difficult situation in today's global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great opportunities that derive from it. We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as modifications to our factory. This is an important action for Lamborghini and a central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development."

European Parliamentarian Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission on Climate Change, recently paid a visit to Lamborghini headquarters in Sant'Agata. At that time, he said that, "The commitment shown by Lamborghini with its efforts to reduce environmental impact and develop vehicles with less polluting technologies confirm the company's goal of following the right path toward complying with the directives of the European Union. To safeguard the DNA, history and technology of niche car manufacturers on a European level, a series of exceptions have been passed for manufactures of 'specialty' vehicles (with fewer than 10,000 new cars made per year) who run their own production facilities and design centres, even though they are part of a group of associated producers. This is the exact situation in which Lamborghini finds itself. We have been particularly satisfied with the actions it has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company's desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and performance with social responsibility."

Partner companies:

Located in Casalecchio di Reno, Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A. is a leader on the Italian market of services that help companies save energy. The company specializes in energy certification of buildings and the construction of large systems that take advantage of renewable energy sources. Sinergia Sistemi also acts as an E.S.Co. (Energy Service Company) that finances the plant systems and energy requalification projects it offers to its customers, in a relationship of total Energy Management.

The finalized project was built from a design based on a preliminary study carried out by the CENER National Center for Renewable Forms of Energy of Spain. This study involved a broad evaluation of the feasibility and size of the project.

 

Comments

sideskraper
June 8, 2009 2:16 PM
i am eagerly awaiting the comments of the 14 year olds crying about how lamborghini should not be doing this.

N20_Purge
June 8, 2009 8:44 PM
I'm 14, so count me in for crying. NOO!!! Lambo, what are you DOING?!

I bet the average MPG for a lambo is going up from like 8mpg to 10mpg when it is a hybrid.

Renegade
June 8, 2009 2:29 PM
Yeah right, and pigs fly.

bman49
June 9, 2009 4:07 AM
Yeah I know! This is will happen when pigs fly and the US has a black president who ruins the auto business! Oh wait......

HEMI426
June 8, 2009 2:37 PM
Led lamborghini make their factory more green, but just leave it their and not in the casrs. It's fine by me if Lamborghini makes their cars more economical with things such as direct injection and lighter materials, but no electric motor. Elektric motors are bad for every car, but especially for sportscars. Imagine starting a murcielago and hearing nothing. I can't believe that anyone thinks this is a good idea, If they do this it will get even worse by making an all electric lamborghini. When Lamborgini makes a hybrid or an electric car, the destroy they brand!

Prince_Ash
June 8, 2009 3:07 PM
imagine they substitute that silent start in an electric engin with an artifical sound of a sports car lol.

Prince_Ash
June 8, 2009 3:06 PM
wow, really ? lamborghini would really make a hybrid ? i thaught super cars were all about power and no remorce for the environment and to hell with co2 emissions. but still its good to see atleast one big name in the supercar world take the first step to a hybrid version of their most likely best selling car.

Renegade
June 8, 2009 3:31 PM
The car will become the must have for hypocrite environmentalist, wonder how much a 96ft houseboat pollutes. 2 or 3 Lambos will do mr. Al Gore?


Edited by user on June 8, 2009 at 3:41 PM
motorjedi
June 8, 2009 4:00 PM
The key word should be 'variant'. As in you can still get the rip-snorting, full-bull V12 and V10 (themselves direct-injected so you don't feel tooo bad), but if you want to show the world you have heaps of cash, but still care, there is a Hybrid available. This will do wonders for Lamborghini. The posers will buy the hybrid (at a premium over the standard car, hopefully), be as smug as their ego allows, and the purists and actual drivers (which are the minority) can have the 'filthy' internal combustion engines.

Vlad
June 8, 2009 4:58 PM
Well said motor jedi.

As for Prince Ash, better way to describe what you said about the lack of sound is to call that version, 'The Castrated Bull' in Italian....

awhk
June 8, 2009 5:01 PM
This is gay!

Imasa
June 8, 2009 5:27 PM
Lambo has no choice but to start developping these types of engines. This is the future. They have to think about where the auto industry will be 10 years from now and not wait til it's too late.

Bremen_Koenigsegg
June 8, 2009 6:27 PM
On a related note, the picture of the Murcielago hooked up to the emissions hardware is really, really suggestive. Dodge Rams with truck-nuts have nothing on a Murcie, apparently.

radmeister
June 8, 2009 7:33 PM
If i am not mistaken what makes a super car a super car is not what fuel it uses or how much it pollutes..What makes a super car is performance, styling and price. If they can keep their same styling ideals, quality/price but increase performance with some new hybrid system does it really matter?? As long as its an improvement who cares if it doesn't use gasoline?

theporscheguy
June 9, 2009 7:40 PM
Sooo, you're going to blame Obama for ruining the automotive industry? Not the big three for building inferior vehicles and the unions and CEO's for their disgusting speditures? Yes, blame the guy that has to clean up the pathetic mess. Let them go bankrupt, serves them right. Hopefully the European automakers will buy them all up and tech them how to run business the proper way. They should hire Dr. Wiedeking to fix the mess, he's certainly helped a little company called Porsche make a few bucks...

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