Lamborghini will hold off the development of its first all-electric supercar until the e-fuel picture becomes “clearer”
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Lamborghini might have already moved on to its electrified era by discontinuing its ICE-only offerings, but the Sant’Agata brand is not ready to commit to an EV future, at least when it comes to supercars. Chairman and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, said that they can afford “leaving the door open” for a few more years, at least until legislators make a clear decision about the future of synthetic fuels.
In an interview with Autocar, Winkelmann said that their mainstream models – the Urus and the Lanzador – will be fully electric by 2030, confirming earlier reports. However, their hybrid supercars, including the upcoming Huracan replacement and the Revuelto flagship, are expected to live on for 8 or 9 years, keeping ICE engines alive as part of their PHEV powertrains. Winkelmann noted that since a “typical development cycle” for a sportscar lasts 4 years, Lamborghini can hold the decision on future supercars until the picture becomes “clearer”.
More: Lamborghini CTO Says Completely Synthetic Sound From Its Future EVs Is Unacceptable
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Lamborghini’s CEO admitted that synthetic fuels would be “an easier leap” for Lamborghini, although there are still concerns about their future: “We have to wait and see what the legislators decide about them [synthetic fuels], and whether we can get global agreement on their viability. We are a global company, so it’s no good if they are only allowed in one area. They have to be real and flying everywhere…”.
Winkelman added that his doubt on synthetic fuels has to do with scalability: “In 2035 there will still be billions of cars on the road with combustion engines, and if we want to make the biggest difference to global emissions, the best way to do it, in theory, is with e-fuel. But I’m not convinced that’s viable.”
Another big concern is how ready Lamborghini customers are for an EV-only lineup. While there is a clear trend towards sustainability among younger buyers, Winkelmann is unsure about the wider customer base: “The truth is, we just don’t know how much of our existing sports car customer base might already consider a BEV alternative. We’re not even asking yet. First, we have to prepare them in a way that is credible.”
Fully electric supercars and hypercars are already a thing – Rimac, and Lotus are currently setting the tone, with Porsche and Tesla to follow soon. In that context, the Lamborghini boss said that even though they won’t be “the first ones”, they want to be “the best ones”, which is why they will focus on making EVs more emotional and exciting for the user: “Clearly, there will be a moment in time when full BEV sports cars can be even more emotional than ICE. The power output is already so amazing. What we have to prove is not the performance, but the handling dynamism and the excitement. In fact, we can already see the time when battery energy density will allow to make even more agile EV supercars than the ICE ones we have today. With enough reassurance from us, we can make those cars even more emotional for our owners, too.”
Winkelmann admitted that going hybrid was a “tough decision” they took 5-6 years ago when it wasn’t clear if such a move was going to be accepted. In a similar manner, Lamborghini needs time in order to decide whether to go EV-only or not.
