Lamborghini Minotauro: Current student design study could be first electric ‘Bull’ by 2020

Meet the Lamborghini Minotauro, the product of a design study by a student working with a industry professional. Andrei Avarvarii, a masters student at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, is behind the Minotauro and has released this video of his renderings for the potential electric-powered Lamborghini.

Avarvarii worked with the Head of Lamborghini Design, Filippo Perini and the duo worked to achieve three different goals; to create a defining electric car that features soft lines and could be released by 2020.

The Minotauro has two asynchronous 75-horsepower (56-kW, 76-PS) electric motors at the front that provide 30% of the car’s power, and two 175-horsepower (131-kW, 177-PS) electric motors at the rear. The system runs on a Cerio Li-Tec Flatcell battery, with a Kinetic Energy Recovery System also in place. Batteries are kept cool by the triangular air vents at the rear.

The design study Lamborghini moves away from the defining characteristic of a top end Lamborghini, the V12 engine at the rear. But without the huge powerplant at the rear, the designers say the car will be able to accommodate one more passenger in the rear, effectively making it a three seater like the legendary Mclaren F1. The third person enters the rear through an extended door on the passenger-side.

The Minotauro is also smaller than current Lamborghini’s, its shorter than the Murcielago and is worlds apart from the hard dramatic lines of the Reventon. If this concept is any indication, future Lamborghini’s will be using softer lines, and considering Perini’s involvement in this project, it could be an indication of Lamborghini’s short-term future.

One unique elemet of the Minotauro is the inclusion of semi-virtual racing, where the car’s on-board navigation system track the vehicle along a racetrack meanwhile video gamers in their homes can race against the driver in virtual reality. Check out the Lamborghini Minotauro in the four-minute video above and read the official press release below for more information.

Press Release

LAMBORGHINI MINOTAURO EXPLORING SOFT SHAPES FOR AN ELECTRIC LAMBORGHINI

PROJECT GOAL:

1. Aesthetic goal: Explore soft shapes for a new Lamborghini design language

The hard edge, faceted design seems to have peaked with the Lamborghini Reventon. To imagine a continuation in this origami style while keeping the purity specific to the Italian brand is almost impossible. Could a Sant’Agata pure-bred keep its identity while displaying soft, voluptuous shapes? This was the main question searching for an answer in this design experiment.

2. Technical goal: Redefine the Lamborghini supercar as an electric vehicle

Can we accept a supercar without a big V12 roaring in the back? Is the electrification of the cars killing all the fun or is it opening new possibilities for the motoring aficionado? How can we turn a “buzzing” gearless power train into a future automotive icon?

3. Functional goal: Integrate the new vehicle in the reality of the year 2020

Lamborghinis were never simple means of transportation; what more will they have to offer in the next decade? How will an electric Lamborghini be perceived ten years from now? What functions and requirements will it have to meet?

Minotauro (Italian for “minotaur”) was in the Greek mythology a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man. It was chosen as a name for the car after a brainstorming that identified one distinctive feature of the Lamborghini cars. That they are beasts you fight and let you live to tell the tale.

Other keywords taken into consideration when developing this project were: Italian, Extreme, Unexpected, Purity, Ornaments and embellishments free, Physically addictive experience, Pure automotive extravagance, Technological marvel.

The electric Lamborghini is equipped with 4 asynchronous motors that divide power 70% to the rear and 30% to the front axle. Electricity is supplied by a Li-Tec flatcell battery pack located in the rear doubled by a KERS system in the front.

The absence of a big V12 engine in the rear creates enough room for a third passenger in a central position. In the exterior, this unusual layout is communicated by the use of the narrow rear window that is shaped in order to improve interior lighting and head room for the rear occupant.

On the driver side the car has a normal door, while on the passenger side there is a longer “Lambo door” that also offers access for the rear passenger.

The triangle shaped air extakes in the rear serve for battery cooling and visually replace the traditional exhausts, which play such an important role in a traditional supercar. They also act like the tubes of a subwoofer, channelling the sound of the electric motors, placed behind them.

In 2020, with the acquisition of the new Minotauro, the Lamborghini owner will also get involved in a brand new experience called REAL LIFE ONLINE GAMING. In this scenario the Lamborghini driver can race his car on a real racetrack (like the Nurburgring). The GPS data of his racing lap is uploaded into the Playstation game network as a ghost. PS players from all over the world can race in virtual reality against the Lamborghini owner and try to beat his best lap. This is the car enthusiasts’ social networking for the next decade.

Source: WorldCarFans