Lamborghini has finally added a hybrid to its lineup,
and it's kind of bad for the environment.
When you think of hybrids, you think
environmentally friendly, right? But Lamborghini is taking a different
approach, using hybrid technology to boost performance
without taking fuel efficiency into
consideration. Which raises the question:
Should automakers use hybrid systems
to increase speed rather than reduce pollution?
Hybrids have grown in popularity.
since they were first introduced 20
years ago. Now, almost every automaker offers a hybrid option, and most hybrids
can double
the gas mileage of a standard car. But
Lamborghini's foray into electrification,
the Sián FKP 37, doesn't save fuel.
The Sián is a blend of the Terzo
Millennio concept and the iconic Countach.
Instead of fuel efficiency,
Lamborghini is focusing on
performance. And perform it does.
It's the fastest Lamborghini ever,
with a top speed of over 217 mph,
and goes 0 to 62 in just under 2.8
seconds,
just two-tenths of a second shy of
Tesla's Model S. There's no doubt that Lamborghini saw what electric motors
could do
and wanted to try something
different for itself.
The Sián's engineering is ingenious.
Instead of a battery pack,
Lamborghini opted for a
supercapacitor,
which is lighter, fire-resistant,
more powerful,
and fully charges in a fraction of
the time of a battery pack.
The only downfall is the lack of
range,
which limits the Sián's fully
electric drive mode
to parking and reversing. But the
supercapacitor is the secret to making it
the fastest-accelerating Lamborghini
ever, virtually eliminating lag between gear changes,
providing instant torque via the
electric motors,
and fully recharging during the
regenerative braking process
to repeat its performance around the
track.
But Lamborghini's chief technology
officer says the supercapacitor is not too hot for emissions.
Meanwhile, Lamborghini's sister
company,
Porsche, produced the 918 Spyder, a
super-hybrid that boasts a top speed of 211 mph
and makes the 0-to-62 run quicker
than the Sián, at 2.6 seconds.
But even more impressively,
it achieves a miles-per-gallon
rating of 22, and a 67 mpg of gasoline equivalent
while running on the hybrid
drivetrain. And it came out in 2013.
The Porsche accelerates faster,
has a comparable top speed, and
still manages
to be more fuel-efficient than the
Lamborghini Sián. The point is, you don't have to
sacrifice efficiency for
performance.
So, are hybrids and electric cars
the answer
to our climate-change problems? Probably
not. But they could have a big role to play.
The EPA says that up to 75% of
carbon monoxide emissions
in US cities come from motor
vehicles. So, yes, automakers do have a big role to play.
There could be some positive steps
in the company's future.
Lamborghini states that they plan to
use battery packs instead of supercapacitors in their next hybrid,
which should produce better gas
mileage.
But the problem is, for right now, Lamborghini's
one and only hybrid
doesn't do much for fuel efficiency.
