Lamborghini Working with MIT for its Future Electric Supercar

Lamborghini is working with two laboratories within the the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to create what may be the Italian carmaker's electric supercar of the future. The concept is called "Lamborghini of the Terzo Millennio" and the goal of Lamborghini's collaboration with the MIT is to "address the future of the super sports car in five different dimensions: energy storage systems, innovative materials, propulsion system, visionary design, and emotion." "Exactly one year ago we have signed an agreement with the MIT-Italy Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which marked the start of a collaboration between two outstanding entities for the creation of a project that intends to write an important page in the future of super sports cars for the third millennium," said Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali. "Collaborating with MIT for our R&D department is an exceptional opportunity to do what Lamborghini has always been very good at: rewriting the rules on super sports cars. Now we are presenting an exciting and progressive concept car. We are inspired by embracing what is impossible today to craft the realities of tomorrow: Lamborghini must always create the dreams of the next generation." To power the car, Lamborghini is looking at the potential of supercapacitors instead of conventional batteries to power the Terzo Millennio. The system isn't new with Lamborghini as it has equipped the Lamborghini Aventador with low-voltage supercapacitors since its production began in 2011. To this end, Lamborghini is working with the "Dinca Research Lab" led by Prof. Mircea Dinca of MIT's Department of Chemistry to close the gap on conventional batteries' energy density while preserving the high power, symmetrical behavior, and the very long lifecycle related to supercapacitor technology. To go with Lamborghini's study into new energy storage systems for the Terzo Millennio, it is also looking at different ways it can tap into its expertise in carbon fiber technology by collaborating with the "Mechanosynthesis Group" led by Prof. Anastasios John Hart of MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering. One of the avenues it is looking into with the use of carbon fiber it to make it "self-heal" by giving the vehicle the ability to conduct its own health monitoring to detect cracks and damages in its substructure, with the self-repairing process starting via micro-channels filled with healing chemistries. As for the design of the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio, it was conceived in-house by Lamborghini Centro Stile, "taking into account the radical changes in technology and anticipating elements of forthcoming Lamborghini design," starting with the evolution of the Lamborghini typical Y-signature in the front and rear lights.