When Lamborghini announced that it wouldn’t make anymore all-combustion V12 cars, it felt like the end of an era for the champion of the childhood bedroom wall. Sure, some of you may have put up posters of F40s or Enzos, but the Lamborghini ultimately won the war on teenage aspiration with ludicrous machines like the Countach, Diablo, Murcielago, and Aventador. From here out, all big Lamborghinis will be electrified, a word that strikes fear into the hearts of petrolheads everywhere. Electrification often means weight, complexity, a Faustian bargain of speed in exchange for soul. Mercedes-AMG C63 S E-Performance, I’m talking about you. If AMG could get electrification so wrong, would the lab coats at St’Agata do it right? Well, fear not. Lamborghini has released details on its new plug-in hybrid V12 powertrain and it seems like the Aventador replacement will be an absolute face-melter.
On the face of it, a 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated V12 sounds, to borrow a line from David Byrne, same as it ever was. However, the L545 V12 is an entirely new beast compared to the Aventador’s L539 V12. Peak power? An earth-shattering 813 horsepower at a stratospheric 9,250 rpm. That’s more power than a Dodge Challenger Demon on pump gas from the V12 alone. We haven’t even factored in electrification yet. Oh, and this symphony of internal combustion won’t stop spinning until 9,500 RPM. Get your Over 9,000 jokes primed and ready now.
Despite the absurd power and 12.6:1 compression ratio, Lamborghini’s found a way to make the new engine lighter than before, clocking in a shade over 480 pounds, 37 pounds less than the Aventador’s motor. Not bad for a thumping V12. What’s more, it’s hitched to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox for improved livability over the Aventador’s single-clutch spine-crusher, and it only sends power to the rear wheels. That ought to put chest hairs on your chest hairs.
However, distilling the gearbox down to a livability concession would be undermining its sheer genius. It’s an eight-speed dual clutch that uses just two shafts, yet weighs 425 pounds. That’s 92 pounds heavier than the Tremec TR-9080 DCT in a Corvette Z51 when that Tremec is full of fluids. Shockingly enough, Lamborghini claims that’s lighter than the Huracan’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, but a hefty gearbox is necessary to harness 813 horsepower. Interestingly enough, the gearbox is mounted transversely despite the architecture’s longitudinal engine layout. That’s even weirder than not having a reverse gear since electrification can pick up that function.
Yes, crammed in the central tunnel of the new architecture sits a 3.8 kWh battery pack driving not one, not two, but three electric motors. Each front wheel has its own oil-cooled axial flux electric drive unit for off-the-line traction and pure torque vectoring, while an electric drive unit just above the gearbox can pump electrons to the rear wheels. Of course, you can plug the high-voltage system into the mains to recharge the battery pack, but the V12 engine is so thunderous it can recharge the battery pack in six minutes. Six minutes!
So how much power do the motors provide? Well, each front motor is good for 108.5 horsepower, and the whole system has a combined output of 1,001 horsepower. Bugatti Veyron output has arrived at Lamborghini. That’s more power than the SF90 Stradale, the most powerful car Ferrari makes right now. That’s more power than the upcoming Aston Martin Valhalla. That’s more power than any non-limited production hybrid supercar ever. The Aventador replacement isn’t just a new halo for Lamborghini, it’s a declaration of war.
While Lamborghini hasn’t released any performance figures for the new LB774 platform, here’s an educated guess: The Aventador replacement will be unfathomably quick for a stock Lamborghini. The zero-to-sixty time will naturally be savage, but unlike most EVs, the next big bull will most likely just keep pulling past the half-mile mark beyond all limits of legality. The plug-in hybrid era of wider-market performance cars has generated mixed success, but the plug-in hybrid supercar era is about to be epic. The new Lamborghini V12 architecture is proof that something great is on the horizon no matter what cartoonishly angular bodywork it’s cloaked in.
(Photo credits: Lamborghini)
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It’s a BMW i8 except with more frosting in the middle.
The thunderous V-12 can recharge the battery in 6 minutes?
Meh. The drizzly in-line 4 in my Volt can recharge the battery in… Uh. Wait.
Wow.
Wow, this is some poetic stuff 🙂 The second to last paragraph made me feel an urge to recapture France!
Hey this means it is no longer and “LP”, right?! “Longitudinale posteriore”
Ludicrously Powerful.
Just what is the “sheer genius” of the transmission?
You proclaimed it as such, then failed to provide anything to suggest that it actually is genius.
But can you make it a camper?
I have a somewhat relevant question that, well, probably applies to this engine. In PHEVs, when you leave with a full battery, the engine doesn’t start. Then, if you both have charge and floor the pedal, the ICE springs to life, and immediately races to redline. Is that not, like, really bad for the engine? I’m assuming something has been done about it (a really fast burst of oil? always pumping oil?), but, it just seems extremely unhealthy for the engine, especially if, say, every time the car is driven, there’s a highway merge or two that requires full throttle from cold, that would add up quickly. What’s the solution they use for this? I’m sure it’s not great on a Toyota 4-cylinder, but, a high-strung engine like this, seems like it could be really bad.
Solutions vary. My old Ford Escape hybrid would dip into the battery “reserve” (discharge below the normal operating range of 43%-83%) to buy the gas engine a few seconds to cycle and lube-up. Other newer hybrids have a separate electric oil pump. Me being paranoid with my current PHEV, will make sure I have enough electric range to get where I’m going, or if not gently warm up the engine before hitting the highway (put it on “EV later” mode and blip the throttle, then put it back on Auto)
A proper PHEV like RAV4 & Prius prime, Chevy volt, or Mitsubishi outlander, has enough power in EV mode to accelerate, merge and cruise on the highway, and enough Regen power to not use the disc brakes (200hp perfectly fine for that) can run heat pump heating and AC from the battery and precondition the car when it’s plugged in without using battery. EV mode does not start the engine unless you push the throttle all the way down AND trigger the switch. this should be only a safety feature if you suddenly need more power. you should be able to commute or drive in traffic without ever using the engine, thus saving a lot of wear on the combustion powertrain. no more starting the engine for short drives. BTW there should be a separate odometer for the ICE powertrain and maintenance schedule based on it.
if you know you are going to rev and push the ICE hard, you should use the car in hybrid mode and let the engine warm up nicely before, and charging the battery only to improve mpg.
Obviously talking about a hybrid supercar which you might not want to depreciate/pay expensive maintenance for commuting in traffic, you’re probably better daily driving a more comfortable car. with cheaper running cost which would benefit more from being an EV or PHEV, and enjoy the supercar for fun drives.
ACCEPTABLE
Are we sure its only a 3.8 kWh battery? I doubt its plug in for such a small battery or the battery info is wrong. A prius PHEV has a 8.8 kWh battery for 25 miles of range. A 3.8 battery in a Lambo is good for what, 1 launch?
The upcoming Lambo Urus PHEV has a 17.9 kWh battery. Everywhere references 3.8 for Aventador PHEV, shame on all the auto journalists copying & pasting without a clue it is likely very wrong.
The E Ray (another mid engine sports car) has a 1.9 kWh battery.
Respectfully, I think if you blindly assume a big SUV and a small sports car share a battery size and accuse others of copy/pasting, it’s you who should be ashamed.
Not blindly assuming, but how is a 3.8 battery going to power 3 electric motors, its good for a 10 second 1/4 run then empty.
3.8kWh/200hp = 90s maximum theoretical runtime when running at full power
the electric motors cannot put out 100% power until they hit peak power (lets say around 60/80mph)
also you don’t use continuous full throttle for 2 min in a 1000hp car unless you have a 10 miles straight.
when battery is almost empty it will start recharging from engine power and/or from regen when you brake. if software is well done it’s completely seamless and battery will never go under 20%. if you drive on a track every time you brake you have motors working 100% Regen for charging the battery.
putting a bigger battery doesn’t really helps because if you discharge it more you’ll have to recharge it more. ideally when you’re on a track it should be always close to 50%, with peak charge after braking zone, and low charge somewhere in the straights. you can have a KERs button to force full electric power for X seconds for overtaking.
obviously you run very hard laps back to back you can’t run electric motors at full power 90% of the time and Regen brake 10% of the time, so the electric power will be limited. you can have qualifying mode starting at 100% charge with full electric power for maybe 2-3 minutes.
Having a battery/motor system will likely mean that it will legally be a PHEV in many places, so avoiding higher taxes/congestion charging etc.
my guess is the plug in and electric range aspect is pretty useless and they sourced a very high power density battery that can power 200hp electric motors from 3.8kWh. maybe used li ion + ultracapacitors like in the Sian. EV mode with a few miles of range to be allowed to drive in zero emission zones, and also avoid emission taxes or allow tax incentives.
RWD mid mounted engine + powerful front motor(s) with eAWD and strong regen + lightweight power dense battery is the lightest and best setup for a high performance hybrid
Max engine torque is 535 ft/lbs in case anyone was wondering. And to continue the Demon camparo that’s about 200 ft lbs less than a Demon on pump gas. Not sure I would compare the two, but there it is.
The V12 can recharge the pack in six minutes! Would be pretty cool if it could backfeed from its charge port and top off other EV’s in a pinch during a super car road trip.
So if you pull up to one of Europe’s EV only zones with an empty battery, just redline your V12 for 5 minutes. The Earth is saved!
there is no reason to arrive at an EV only zone with empty battery unless you are doing it on purpose. and yeah driving in EV mode in city center saves people’s eardrums and improves air quality. engine idling and in stop/go traffic is the worst.
1,001 horsepower (one more than one thousand!) is the automotive equivalent of Spinal Tap’s “It goes to eleven!”
Remember when the Veyron hit that number? It boggled the mind back then that the engine in a road-going car could make that much power. Nowadays… eh. Doesn’t seem so impressive.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say not that impressive, it’s still hugely impressive. almost 20 years on from the initial Veyron debut, and there are still preciously few cars to have that much power.
Well, they needed to have more than a hummer, so added a “1”.
although EV have less drivetrain loss so more power to the wheel. 1020hp plaid is measured 1100hp on dyno because dyno adds supposed drivetrain losses for corrected crankshaft power.
This sparks joy.
I’m confused as to why this isn’t more of a solution across the board. I suppose cost certainly plays a role, but a lot of our favorite big honkin ICE engines could potential stick around for years to come with electrification…whether it’s the Corvette E Ray approach, adding mild hybrid systems to traditional large displacement engines, pairing the engines with more traditional hybrid systems, making plug in variants, etc.
It’ll reduce emissions and increase fuel economy. Will it have a dramatic effect? Ehhhhhhh maybe not but every little bit counts and it’ll at least be enough for a stay of execution for a few extra years while companies figure out how to make an EV performance car that’s actually engaging and in reach or regular people.
More complexity, and ultimately a clean break from ICE without a bunch of pandering carveouts is the only way we’ll make any progress. The goal is to use no oil anymore. We’re already doomed as a planet and carb fuels have to go away.
I say this as someone who gets 11mpg out of her 1988 V8 engine. My next car will be electric.
However, when we’re talking about relatively niche enthusiast cars that won’t see miles compared to more common commuter-type cars, what’s the harm? I agree we need to clean up our transportation sector NOW. However, these are a drop in the bucket compared to, say, trying to get semis to hydrogen/BEV, or even getting our airline fleet to alternative fuels.
so you want to make exceptions for expensive cars? Ok but then put heavy tax on them to fund other emission reductions. Of course the effort has to be across the board. electricity has to get cleaner quickly, fossil fuel has to disappear when possible, be used more efficiently when it’s needed. if you don’t create regulations companies will keep milking as much profit as possible from dirty technologies as long as they can. ICE ban in 2035 in many markets has helped car makers switch ICE R&D budgets into EV and realize there is a race to maqs produce EV profitably. hopefully they don’t forget recycling in the equation
Eh, you can’t boil the ocean. Taking a series of small steps toward lower emissions is likely to be more effective than a giant ICE-ban-leap that’s going to fall flat on its face.
Plus, stuff like this will make electrification cool. It’s a halo car in more ways than one.
new ICE sales ban in 2035 and complete ICE ban in 2050 is not a giant leap. it’s about 30 years for transition from ~2020 when EV started getting out of a niche category and slow growth 2% growth on the electrical demand.
cheap EVs will have somewhat limited range but by 2035 charging network should be ready in the markets that have a ban.
Also China market is the biggest and fastest growing and it’s already 35% plugin. Some manufacturers too slow to adapt will disappear or maybe will be stuck making very cheap/low margin gas vehicles using 2000’s tech only for poor countries with no emission laws.
E Ray is also quicker than Z06 in a straight line..
Oof, My body is ready!
Bring on another poster child!
“a hefty gearbox is necessary”
A Tremec TR6060 weighs under 150 lb, just saying.
A fair point, but that chonker is also the differential and has another electric motor (and what looks like the inverter stack) integrated into it, so that’s really not all that bad, all things considered.
If it includes the motor etc, then it is pretty impressive. I’m thinking that isn’t included in the published weight though, given the comparison to the non-electrified units in the Huracan and Corvette.
My ideal form for this car would be a smaller engine (like a 3.5 L v12 would be perfect), 6MT driving the rear wheels and electric front wheel assist. The motor could come on progressively with the clutch release.
3.5l V12 doesn’t have the best power to weight ratio you are just making the engine heavier and more complicated just for a high pitched exhaust note
you could weld three panigale V4 engines and maybe a 720hp 3l V12 revving 16500rpm ???? with only 250lb ft at 11500rpm…
but basically you want an hybrid Gordon Murray T50..something he would hate ????
Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that a 3.5 L v12 would be the best engine. It is just what I, an irrational human, would love to have.
A hybrid Gordon Murray T50 would be great. It doesn’t matter if he would hate it, because I am sure he has no idea who I am and would never solicit advice from me.
At least they won’t have to pump fake engine noise through the speakers 🙂