Lamborghini has unveiled the Sián: a hybrid V12 super sports car expected to be the fastest Lamborghini yet, and which marks the first step of Lamborghini’s electrification strategy.
The Sián’s super hybrid powertrain includes a 48 volt e-motor that delivers 34hp, which has been incorporated into the gearbox to provide immediate response, marking what Lamborghini says is the first time a low-voltage hybrid system has featured a direct connection between the electric motor and wheels. The e-motor also supports low-speed manoeuvres such as reversing and parking with electric power.
The energy accumulation technology is also claimed as a world first. Rather than a lithium-ion battery the Sián boasts a supercapacitor: a technology pioneered originally in the Aventador but dramatically developed to store 10 times more power. According to Lamborghini’s R&D team the system is three times more powerful than a battery of the same weight, and three times lighter than a battery producing the same power. The electric system with the supercapacitor and e-motor weighs 34kg (a weight-to-power ratio of 1.0 kg/hp) and is located in the bulkhead between the cockpit and engine for even weight distribution. A symmetric power flow ensures the same efficiency in both the charging and discharging cycles.
This technology is combined with a V12 engine, which incorporates titanium intake valves and is uprated to 785hp (577 kW) at 8,500 rpm: the highest output ever from a Lamborghini power plant. Combined with the additional 34hp from the hybrid system, the Sián delivers a total of 819hp (602 kW). The Sián’s weight-to-power ratio is even better than that of the Aventador SVJ, achieved through extensive use of lightweight materials, which have also enabled a top speed of over 350km/h (217mph).
An advanced regenerative braking system has also been developed in-house for the car, which exploits the symmetric behavior of the supercapacitor, which means the Sián’s energy storage system is fully charged every time the vehicle brakes. The energy stored is an instantly available power boost, allowing the driver to draw immediately on increased torque when accelerating away, up to 130km/h (81mph) when the e-motor automatically disconnects, improving the elasticity manoeuvres and making it a claimed more than 10% faster than a car without this system.
The system also delivers instant acceleration in low gears, with improved traction force provided by the combination of the V12 engine and hybrid system. This makes the Sián the fastest-accelerating Lamborghini ever, achieving 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in less than 2.8 seconds. The improvement in elasticity manoeuvres is even more evident, with traction force improved by up to 10% in third gear and the 30 to 60 km/h acceleration time is improved by 0.2 seconds compared to the Aventador SVJ. In higher gears and lower speeds the electric motor increases traction force by up to 20%, reducing the 70 to 120 km/h (43-75mph) acceleration time by 1.2 seconds compared to the Aventador SVJ. The acceleration may be brutal but it won’t feel uncomfortable, as the torque upshift fill provided by the hybrid’s e-motor means the driver will feel only the pull backward of acceleration, eliminating jerking movements.
“The Sián is a masterpiece in possibilities,” stated Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini’s chairman and CEO. “Not only does the Sián deliver a formidable hyper-car design and engineering tour de force today, it augments the potential for Lamborghini as a super sports car brand for tomorrow and for decades to come, even as hybridisation becomes more desirable and inevitably essential. The Lamborghini Sián represents the first step in Lamborghini’s route to electrification, and expedites our next-generation V12 engine. Its Sián moniker, meaning ‘flash or lightning’ in Bolognese dialect, denotes the first electrification of a Lamborghini production car and confirms our strong connection to the territory in which we operate. With the Sián, Automobili Lamborghini demonstrates its dynastic strength as a legendary super sports car brand for the future.”
