Automotive

Lamborghini sets sights on electrified future with Terzo Millennio concept

Lamborghini sets sights on electrified future with Terzo Millennio concept
The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference this week
The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference  this week
View 21 Images
The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference this week
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The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference  this week
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
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Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built in collaboration with scientists from MIT
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The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built in collaboration with scientists from MIT
Wheel detail of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Wheel detail of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
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Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
Close-up look at Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Close-up look at Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
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Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built alongside scientists from MIT
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The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built alongside scientists from MIT
Close-up of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Close-up of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
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Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built in collaboration with scientists from MIT
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The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built in collaboration with scientists from MIT
Front-on look at Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Front-on look at Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
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Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built alongside scientists from MIT
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The all-electric Terzo Millennio was built alongside scientists from MIT
The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference this week
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The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference  this week
Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
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Render of Lamborghini's Terzo Millennio concept
The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference this week
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The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference  this week
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
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Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
View gallery - 21 images

Lamborghini has peeled back the curtain on an audacious concept that offers a rough outline of the supercar manufacturer's pathway into the future. The Terzo Millennio was developed in collaboration with MIT researchers, and is a thought experiment intended to inspire engineering breakthroughs that give rise to a new generation of electrified sports cars.

Lamborghini hopes the collaboration with MIT scientists in creating the all-electric Terzo Millennio will bear fruit in the form of "radical innovation" across five key areas. The first of these relates to energy storage systems, with Lamborghini citing a motivation to move away from conventional batteries and explore supercapacitors as a way of powering the Terzo Millennio.

The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference this week
The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference  this week

This ties in with the second area – the use of innovative materials. This includes new manufacturing approaches for producing the carbon fiber bodyshell that not only make make the vehicle lighter, but also allow the body to be used as an energy storage system. Lamborghini says it is even investigating self-healing properties, where the vehicle detects and fixes cracks to its sub-structure automatically by way of micro-channels filled with healing chemicals.

Third comes propulsion, and the Terzo Millennio would leave behind the brawny V-12s Lamborghini is known for in favor of greener and more compact electric engines in the wheels. Design is the fourth dimension, with the aforementioned technological advances creating new possibilities around aerodynamic performance.

Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept offers a vague outline of the Italian supercar giant's pathway into the future

Finally comes emotion, with Lamborghini looking to achieve all of the above while maintaining the sensation of driving one of its cars, which would be assisted through the responsiveness of the vehicle's electric motors, its four-wheel torque control and dynamic body control system.

The Terzo Millennio was revealed at MIT's EmTech Conference this week, an annual conference that showcases new developments in engineering and technology. You can check it out from all angles in our gallery.

Source: Lamborghini 1, 2

View gallery - 21 images
2 comments
2 comments
Kaido Tiigisoon
Engines in wheels. And that is a sports car. I wonder, when does this stupid idea (engines in wheels) stop appearing. Probably never.
Fortunately this far they do show up only in concept cars, where unsprung mass is not a concern.
McDesign
I suspect as motors get lighter and lighter, maybe with high temp superconductors for the windings, and perhaps the wheel structure integrated with the motor housing, it will be less of a stupid idea.
Carbon wheels and carbon discs are eliminating the traditional weight we expect already. I'll bet we can soon get down to 40-50 lbs for the complete wheel/motor/braking assembly with `~100-150 horsepower.
Those halfshafts and CV joints for chassis-mounted motors are half unsprung weight, so that's not free