What’s next for Lamborghini? Between now and the year 2999, the world would have probably seen enough Lamborghinis to last 30 lifetimes, and electrification is a huge part of that future. In a direct reference to what’s next for Lamborghini, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, Stephan Winkelmann revealed the company’s plans to phase out wholly gas-powered vehicles beginning from 2022. The year brings with it a V12 plug-in hybrid replacement for the Aventador, spelling an end to the titanic 6.5L V12 in the Lamborghini production series.
Yes, the future is electric, but Lamborghini is gearing towards a future far more jolting than electrification. That future sings a song of regeneration, a.k.a. self-healing. Enter Terzo Millennio, that’s Italian for the Third Millennium. It may sound like a long time in the future, but this evolutionary hypercar has been long in coming, and it will be here much sooner than expected.
Former Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali started the Terzo project in 2016 before passing the baton to Winkelmann in 2020. By current indications, 2030 is the year we come face to face with a fully-developed world’s first-ever self-healing car, a $122,649,900 partnership between Automobili Lamborghini and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The concept was unveiled in 2017 at the EmTech conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and here’s what we know about the poster child for regenerative cars.
Can The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio Actually Self-Heal?
As gearheads, it’s an exciting time to be alive. Lambo’s claim of self-healing ability isn’t frivolous fiction. In fact, regeneration is just one of several ways the Terzo millennio pushes the boundaries of vehicular science and technology. To ensure continuing dominance in the world of supercars, Automobili Lamborghini is collaborating with the one institution whose very name is a Xerox of new-tech research and development, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, otherwise known as the MIT.
The goal? To create a hypercar that might as well have traveled back in time from a future that, thanks to the Terzo Millennio project, self-healing cars are a common reality. Researchers at MIT and manufacturers at Lamborghini have been at it for three years before the stunning concept was unveiled in 2107. Not saying it’s as easy as it sounds, but nanotechnology is the obvious route to achieving true regeneration. How does it actually work?
Nanotechnology is a disruptive constituent of chemistry and physics, and that’s because elements can be unpredictable at a nano-level. Take carbon nanotubes, for instance. Like MIT, Lamborghini is no stranger to innovation. The marque is a frontrunner in carbon fiber R&D, and now it is using the same nanotube technology to create not just strong and lightweight cars, but self-healing cars.
By sandwiching carbon nanotubes between layers of carbon fiber panels, the electricity-storing nanotubes can warm and seal off micro-cracks, similar to the activities of blood vessels in the human body. By sending resin to the areas of damage, further damage is mitigated or forestalled. This provides a wide array of structural integrity plus time- and money-saving benefits.
Supercapacitors allow the car to charge quicker and discharge energy more efficiently while the car’s body, made of carbon nanotubes, simultaneously stores static electro-energy, essentially turning the entire body into a mass of energy-storing supercapacitors. This improves the vehicle’s lightweight as it evenly distributes the weight of energy storage across the breadth and length of the car.
Lambo may be accused of having not-so-noble objectives. We could see the marque protecting its perch at the top as the motoring world sees intensified momentum towards electrification, which is an area that poses a significant risk for Lamborghini, whose strength lies in fast, vociferous power. In that case, the Terzo Millennio, with its self-healing technology and Lambo’s in-development supercapacitors, will doubtless solidify the Bull’s position at the top.
Why The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio Is A Game Changer
Regeneration is game-changing, whether in nature or technology. Lamborghini Terzo Millennio, however, is the poster child of cars capable of self-health checks and repair while also pushing the boundaries of supercar performance. In other words, Terzo Millennio is not all about self-healing, despite that being its dominant feature.
Common sense says that Lambo has to retain its cutting-edge styling, tech, and powertrain, or it risks losing its identity while cruising towards electrified motoring.
Now what?
In the absence of an internal combustion engine, Terzo Millennio will generate torque directly at the wheels. Each of the four wheels comes with an electric motor, allowing the car to deliver enhanced stability and handling to rival modern Formula One cars. Apparently, Terzo Millennio is an all-wheel drive. The wheels emit an orange glow, a radical shift from smoke wafting from exhaust pipes.
The car will be propelled by supercapacitors, instead of conventional batteries, for storing and discharging energy. Supercapacitors capable of storing and discharging energy at a rapid rate improve Terzo Millenno’s performance in the absence of a combustion engine.
What about the sound? The Bull can’t do without its growl, which is why work is underway to equip the electrified Terzo Millennio with a signature sound all of its own by incorporating its novel aerodynamic design. This car comes with a functional ultra-sleek aerodynamic styling.
What about speed? The company is tight-lipped, but milk from the grapevine says the car has a combined output of 838 hp, while Lamborghini’s Chief Technical Officer Maurizio Reggiani said an EV wearing the Bull’s badge must cross the 180 mph (300 km/h) threshold. The “white-robed” guys at MIT and Sant’ Agata are working on self-healing and self-driving technology as well.
Terzo Millennio is to come with racetrack-only autonomous driving capabilities, but we have every reason to hope this restriction will eventually go away to include roadworthy autonomous driving Lambos. The marque has achieved a radical powertrain shift without sacrificing the brand’s signature aesthetics. If you have $2.5 million lying around, you’re still late to the party. All 63 units of the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio are reportedly sold out.
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