Lamborghini Terzo Millennio EV looks insane

The Mercedes-AMG Project One and Aston Martin Valkyrie could have some competition soon, in the form of the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept.

It provides a foretaste of how the next all-electric Lambo supercar will look – and how Lamborghini will maintain the brand's extreme attitude in an EV future populated with increasingly extreme rivals.

The Audi-owned company says it will use supercapacitors instead of regular batteries to power the car, while four in-wheel electric motors will provide propulsion for the dramatically-styled creation from Sant'Agata.

It hasn't released power or torque figures but given the $1.2 million Croatian-made Rimac Concept_One pumps out 800kW and 1600Nm, the new Lamborghini Terzo Millennio would have to be good for at least that much mumbo – if not more.

Lamborghini says its next-generation EV supercars will sit at the top of its product line-up, replacing its V12 flagship models and argues that "…today’s batteries are not enough and a big leap forward is needed" to propel its high-tech aerodynamic beast.

The answer?

"Lamborghini aim is to develop an innovative supercapacitor able to close the gap with conventional batteries in terms of energy density, preserving an outstanding power density," reads the press statement.

Supercapacitors have been used in Le Mans race cars to provide a power boost – the Audi R18 made good use of them – and can recharge quickly and store high amounts of energy. But they discharge just as quickly, which is why they haven't been used on road cars. Yet.

Supercapacitors would be able to store the necessary range for a production car… however Lamborghini reckons that with a hard-core energy regeneration setup it could make the system work.

"In order to take the most from the opportunities offered by electrification, the [energy] accumulation system must be power-oriented and symmetrical, to allow high performances and the greatest energy recovery possible," says Lambo.

This may all be pie-in-the-sky stuff at the moment from a technical standpoint and there's always the potential for solid state batteries to join the fray, providing more energy and faster charging.

However, one thing with immediate applications is the supercar's epic aesthetic. After all, the name Terzo Millennio means third millennium, and last time I checked it's already the third millennium.

Aggression, severity and a gorgeous interpretation of the Lamborghini design ethos has been presented with the wild Lambo concept, affording a glimpse into the future of how the next generation of Lamborghini supercars will look.

The Italian brand has always delivered angular, sharp designs and the new Lamborghini Terzo Millennio takes that philosophy and cranks it up to nove. That's nine in Italian.

There's unmistakable Lambo design cues in evidence, such as on its flanks – the air intakes in particular – and the rear-end. But it’s the front-end design, the front wheel-arches and curved canopy (curves? blasphemy!) that may raise some eyebrows with the Lamborghini faithful.

This is certainly no Lamborghini Aventador and unless it catches on fire it won't belch flames either. Shame.

Lamborghini says the "…visionary design is the expression of a brand new aerodynamics [strategy] and architecture," and that "every detail is designed to make the flow of the wind stream perfect."

That may be true but it's a considerable departure from the modern day Lamborghini design ethos.

The company says that the advent of an electric supercar with four in-wheel motors unleashes its designers' imaginations, allowing more creativity in the design. But is that necessary?

"Lamborghini aims to use this opportunity to generate torque directly into the wheels, letting the body of the vehicle free to be shaped by the needs of design and aerodynamics.

"The opportunities in terms of weight, aerodynamics and design are so huge that it worth investigating for feasibility of further development," says Lamborghini.

Made from carbon-fibre Kevlar composites, the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept will integrate its battery tech into the body panels – at least that's the claim. Lamborghini says it can reduce weight, which has always been an issue with EVs and their big battery packs, by utilising "structural electric energy storing composites".

The Italian car-maker is investigating nanomaterial technology that would apparently diffuse "nano-charges in CFK-based panels able to store electric energy and in the meantime to form the body and structures of the car."

It sounds very theoretical at this stage, as does the car's ability to 'health check' its carbon-fibre battery body panels and structure. Indeed, the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept car is designed to "detect cracks and damages that might occur after accident, throughout its substructure, while limiting or reducing to zero the risks correlated to the presence and propagation of cracks in the carbon fiber structure".

It almost sounds like the design team in Sant'Agata has been overdoing the grappa but who knows, Mercedes-AMG put an F1 engine in a road car with its Project One, pushing the extremes of what's possible. The Aston Martin Valkyrie can match a F1 car for speed too.

In some ways the concept car is a stunning testament to what's on the horizon. But it's also a signal that the writing's on the wall for combustion engine cars when Lamborghini - a fervent believer in the purity of controlled explosions within an engine - finally acquiesces and concedes that, yes, electric power will drive the next generation of the supercars.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Lamborghini will be finding a suitable replacement for the piercing scream of a naturally-aspirated V12 engine at 7000rpm. The Sant'Agata supercar company concurs that the "adoption of an electric power train requires to define a sound able to substitute the one of today’s V12" and is conducting a "deep investigation" into it.

There's no images of the interior but it's safe to say drivers will control the car with a combination of gesture (blinking rapidly?) and mind control.