Lamborghini drivers do not, we repeat, do not give a rat’s backside about saving the planet. But that hasn’t stopped the supercar company from developing a stop-start system for its flagship Aventador.
Due to pressure from men in hemp suits at the European Union, Lamborghini, like all car makers is being forced to reduce the average CO2 emissions across its fleet or face severe financial penalties. But rather than cheat by rebadging an existing eco-friendly city car as one of its own (ala Aston Martin Cygnet) or contemplate building a hybrid (ala Porsche 918) it’s rolled out a stop-start system for its 2013 Aventador.
The system works in much the say way as the stop-start (or micro hybrid drive or stop and start – call it what you like) systems in most econoboxes. In other words when you come to a standstill the engine switches off to conserve fuel and reduce the amount of CO2 being farted into the atmosphere. When the driver comes off the brake or hits the accelerator, the engine fires back into life in as little as 180 milliseconds. Ferrari’s high emotion, low emission (HELE) system, for reference, takes 230ms to restart.
Cleverly, Lamborghini doesn’t use a heavy battery to restart the engine. Instead, it’s incorporated a capacitor, which saves about 3kg of weight.
More importantly perhaps, the 2013 Aventador will also come with a cylinder deactivation system (CDS) that allows the big Aventador to run on 6 of its twelve cylinders. Again, this provides better fuel economy and fewer emissions in situations where stupid amounts of power isn’t required.
With these systems in place, fuel economy on the Aventador is improved from 13.68mpg to (drumroll!) 14.7mpg, while CO2 emissions drop from 398g/km to 370g/km. Sure, that’s not quite enough for it to qualify for exemption from the London congestion charge, and it won’t stop you going broke at the pumps but it’s a start.
The 2013 Aventador will go on show at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Via: Auto Motor Sport
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