Powertrain System in New Lamborghini Sian
Lamborghini has recently showed to the auto world its new Sian hypercar during the auto exhibition in Frankfurt. This hybrid model turns out to be the Lambo's most powerful car ever manufactured. In order to reach those heights, Lamborghini engineers have designed a sophisticated hybrid powertrain with super capacitors. The name of the new supercar can be translated as “flash” or “lightning”. It refers to the fact that Sian is the 1-st model in the history of the Italian brand, which is set in motion with the help of electricity.
The powertrain unit of the new Sian comes with a 48V volt e-motor, producing 34 hp, which has been set into the transmission to ensure instant responsiveness and enhanced performance capacity. The e-motor also helps to perform low-speed maneuvering with e-power. Instead of using a lithium-ion battery in the Sian, engineers of the Italian brand came up with the idea to apply a super capacitor. This tech solution was firstly used in the Aventador model, but for the Sian model this technology was significantly improved to store much more power.
Lamborghini Sian at Frankfurt Motor Show 2019
Super capacitors have their pros and cons when compared to electrochemical batteries. They can be charged and discharged really quick. However, they have an insufficient energy storage capacity and are not considered to be good enough for e-cars. According to Elektrek, several companies have been trying things out with hybrid super capacitors — a combination of batteries and super capacitors — for use in e-cars. But it seems that Sian engineers managed to do some magic. As a result, the system integrated in the Sian model is much more efficient and weighing less than existing battery analogs. Positioned in the separation between driver’s compartment and engine unit this solution guarantees ideal mass distribution.
Lamborghini Sian
The powertrain unit with the super capacitor and e-motor weighs just 34 kg, thereby ensuring an impressive weight-to-power ratio of 1.0 kg/hp. Well-balanced power flux provides the same performance capacity in both operating states: quite a weight saving and high-capacity hybrid solution. This sophisticated technology is coupled with Lamborghini’s V12 engine, which is equipped with titanium induction valves. It can reach impressive 785 hp at 8500 RPM, which is a record result for Lambo. Taking into account extra 34 hp from the e-motor, the overall power of the hybrid Sian reaches 819 hp.
All that power is transmitted to the wheels via a 7-speed automatic transmission with adjustable shifting feature based on the mode of operation. It is connected to an electronically-driven AWD unit with so-called rear-axle trick diff unit. The new Sian accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 sec., while the maximum sped exceeds 350 km/h. Moreover, this model supports regeneration braking: the energy accumulated during braking is used during the speed-up to 80 km/h.
Lambo officials plan to produce 63 Sians and all of them have already been reserved. The price tag of the new model hasn’t been unveiled, but according to unofficial sources it is estimated at $ 2.5 million. According to representatives of the Italian brand, Sian is the 1-st step in the brand’s E-Mobility policy. Now the Italian automaker will focus on dynamic characteristics of its future vehicles and weight minimization of additional electrical elements.