Lamborghini To Explore Hybrid Engines As It Promises 35% Emission Reduction by 2015

In an ambitions new emissions reduction strategy Lamborghini has just unveiled, the Italian exotic car maker says it will look to hybrid powertrains (among other things) to cut vehicle emissions by 30 percent by 2015. The company has already made a significant step in that direction with the launch of the LP560-4. Due to the use of direct-injection, that new vehicle emits 18 percent less CO2.

As for the other engineering initiatives Lamborghini will make to hit its target, the company said in a press release that it will also look at biofuels. This shouldn’t be too difficult considering Bentley (which, like Lamborghini, is owned by Volkswagen) has already made significant progress in this field.

Start-stop systems, which turn off the engine when at a light or in traffic, are also a possibility and would no doubt be a part of any hybrid powertrain.

More conventional practices will also be employed, with the company promising to cut the weight of its vehicles while further enhancing aerodynamic efficiency.

The company also cites “improved combustion” in its list of green initiatives and we are no doubt likely to see direct-injection on the successor of the Murciélago – if not sooner.

But Lamborghini’s green plan isn’t just limited to its cars. The company aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent at its factory.

To do this it will transform the roof of its factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy into an energy generator using solar panels. The company says the system will produce 20 percent of the power the factory uses. At the same time, the roof will undergo a massive overhaul with better insulation, lighting and heating that will reduce energy consumption by an additional 10 percent.

“Despite the difficult situation in today’s global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great opportunities that derive from it,” said Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as modifications to our factory. This is an important action for Lamborghini and a central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development.”

The move has been applauded by the European community, with Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission on Climate Change saying the company was “on the right path.”

“We have been particularly satisfied with the actions it [Lamborghini] has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company’s desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and performance with social responsibility,” Sacconi said.

Official release after the jump:

Press release

LAMBORGHINI ANNOUNCES NEW, AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS
FOR REDUCING CO2

• 35 million Euros investments

• The construction of a large photovoltaic plant, combined with an energy-
saving project, will achieve a 30% reduction in the factory’s CO2
emissions by 2010

• Modifications to vehicles will result in a 35% reduction in CO2
emissions by 2015

Sant’Agata Bolognese, 7 June 2009 – Automobili Lamborghini announces its
intention to complete its program of environmental sustainability in record time by
presenting new plans which will enable the company:

• to achieve a 30% reduction, by the year 2010, in the CO2 emissions produced
by its factory
• to achieve a 35% reduction, by the year 2015, in the CO2 emissions
produced by its vehicles

The plans for reducing emissions will thus involve two areas: modifications to the
Lamborghini factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, and development in vehicle design.

To redefine its industrial processes in accordance with its policy of environmental
sustainability, Lamborghini has just begun a project to complete installation of a large
photovoltaic system by the end of 2009.

The roof-top plant will produce 1,582 Megawatt hour (MWh) of “green” energy per
year, which translates into a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions (-
1,067,820 Kg/year) by 2010.

The photovoltaic systems will have a total installed power rating of
1,4 Megawatts and will extend over 17,000 m2 throughout the entire industrial area.
The new system will be built by Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A.

At the same time, an equally important energy conservation project involving
insulating the production facility’s whole roof, improving lighting and heating and
introducing destratification systems for heated air will be completed, thus resulting in
a 10% energy usage reduction by 2010.

These projects represent the next step in a program that began last year with the
opening of the new Lamborghini
Logistics Center. The Center has already contributed to diminishing the impact
caused by heavy truck traffic on the roads between Anzola and Sant’Agata Bolognese.
It is calculated that this facility has achieved a reduction of emissions by over 75 kg
per annum, and nitrogen oxide by over 750 kg (Sources: Standard Euro 3).

In April 2009 Lamborghini obtained the UNI EN ISO 14001 certificate, meeting
the international environmental standards. It is also the first firm in the Italian
automotive sector to be close to registering for the EMAS environment certificate,
having successfully completed the program: EMAS regulations are set by the
European Union to support organisations in their effort to evaluate and improve
their own environmental efficiency.

These recent achievements support Lamborghini’s commitment to protecting the
environment in which it operates, and its desire to make all stakeholders aware of
its actions in a transparent manner.

With regard to Lamborghini vehicles, the CO2 reduction plan aims for an additional
35% decrease in emissions by the year 2015.

The program reached its first milestone with the Gallardo LP 560-4. Introduced
last year, the new car’s technical advancements resulted in an 18% reduction in CO2
emissions.

At this point, Research & Development activities will continue in the following
directions:

– decreasing vehicle mass
– improving combustion
– reducing friction
– Start-and-Stop systems
– hybrid drive train solutions
– biofuels

Lamborghini’s commitment and its sense of social responsibility regarding the
environment is evidenced by the numbers and by the sheer size of the investments
that are planned. 35 million Euros will be appropriated over the next five years for
this purpose.

Stephan Winkelmann, the President and CEO of Lamborghini, has said, “Despite
the difficult situation in today’s global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its
policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great
opportunities that derive from it. We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to
the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part
of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is
more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of
resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as
modifications to our factory. This is an important action for Lamborghini and a
central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development.”

European Parliamentarian Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission
on Climate Change, recently paid a visit to Lamborghini headquarters in Sant’Agata.
At that time, he said that, “The commitment shown by Lamborghini with its efforts
to reduce environmental impact and develop vehicles with less polluting
technologies confirm the company’s goal of following the right path toward
complying with the directives of the European Union. To safeguard the DNA,
history and technology of niche car manufacturers on a European level, a series of
exceptions have been passed for manufactures of ‘specialty’ vehicles (with fewer
than 10,000 new cars made per year) who run their own production facilities and
design centres, even though they are part of a group of associated producers. This is
the exact situation in which Lamborghini finds itself. We have been particularly
satisfied with the actions it has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company’s
desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and
performance with social responsibility.”

Partner companies:

Located in Casalecchio di Reno, Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A. is a leader on the Italian
market of services that help companies save energy. The company specializes in
energy certification of buildings and the construction of large systems that take
advantage of renewable energy sources. Sinergia Sistemi also acts as an E.S.Co.
(Energy Service Company) that finances the plant systems and energy
requalification projects it offers to its customers, in a relationship of total Energy
Management.

The finalized project was built from a design based on a preliminary study carried
out by the CENER National Center for Renewable Forms of Energy of Spain. This
study involved a broad evaluation of the feasibility and size of the project.