Say hello to Siån (pronounced ‘Shh-ahnn’), the fastest and most powerful car to ever come out of Sant’Agata Bolognese. Yep, Lambo has gone hybrid. But not as you’d imagine… it’s juicing its beloved V12 with supercapacitor technology rather than lithium-ion batteries. Their main advantage is the ability to accept and deliver charge much faster and to tolerate many more charge and discharge cycles. Crucially, they’re also lighter and more energy-dense.
The Siån uses a supercapacitor that is three times more powerful than a battery of the same weight, or three times lighter than a battery producing the same power, feeding a 48-volt e-motor, delivering 25kW. Like other mild hybrid systems, it has been incorporated into the gearbox, meaning the e-motor can take the strain during low-speed manoeuvres.
More importantly, it…
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Top Gear South Africa (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2019