Lamborghini adding solar power to factory, vows to cut range CO2 35% by 2015
In the grand scheme of things, the facilities and products of Lamborghini don't really amount to a hill of beans. After all, the company only has one main factory that produces a few thousand cars a year. While those cars are high-powered and consume a lot of fuel per mile driven, Lamborghini owners tend to drive those cars far fewer miles than the mainstream autos the rest of us hop into on a daily basis. As such, the Lambos' total emissions don't add up to much.
Nonetheless, Lamborghini is still somewhat sensitive to both social and regulatory concerns and has an ambitious plan to reduce CO2 emissions. The automaker is in the process of installing a 17,000 square meter solar array to its factory roof that, when completed later this year, will generate 1,582 MWh of electricity annually. In addition to that, changes are being made inside the plant to improve insulation, lighting, and climate control as part of a broader effort to lower factory-related CO2 emissions 30 percent by 2010.
As for the products coming out of the factory, Lamborghini is pursuing several paths towards a goal of 35-percent CO2 reduction by 2015. In addition to expanding the use of technology like the direct injection that debuted on the Gallardo LP560-4 last year, the engineers are working on improved combustion, weight reduction, auto start/stop systems, hybrid drive and biofuel use.
Gallery: Lamborghini CO2 reductions
[Source: Lamborghini]
07/06/2009
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
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bobby S. 12:38PM (6/07/2009)
Kudos for Lambo (should I say Audi?) for trying to make some changes.
I'm sure Al Gore would buy a Lambo in '15.
Reply
AngeloD 1:21PM (6/07/2009)
""I'm sure Al Gore would buy a Lambo in '15.""
Al Gore (D-TN) could drive that Lambo back and forth to his 96ft houseboat, the one with the quad 500cui mercrusiers. You know,the one that has the solar panel on the cabin top that keeps the batteries charged. Quite the environmentalist is that Al Gore, eh?
He could certainly afford it with the $120,000,000 he has made off of his selfless environmental activities.
Motor_Yakuza 2:19PM (6/07/2009)
Screw Al Gore and all this idiots who don't know or do not want to know that all the cars on the planet, pollute less fuel then 16 big transport cargo ships. And how many ships are in the world? You do the math, so most of this idiotic twips who are blaming cars for "global warming", are just a bunch of ignorant hypocrites.
Nick 3:00PM (6/07/2009)
@AngeloD and Motor_Yazuka
Interesting comments from the amateur climate change deniers, interesting also that you chose to believe reports made by lobbyists and lawyers than the world's highest scientific centers. You're the kind of people who said smoking was good for the health too eh?
Al Gore consumes a lot of energy privately, which is a bad example, but he has done more to reduce foreign oil consumption, improve air quality and fight climate change.
Good lord, you guys haven't even glanced over scientific reports, all that matters is the garbage you see on TV.
ccdoggy 3:10PM (6/07/2009)
Motor, you do relaize that those transport ships are some of the most efficient motors in the world. think about how much they transport compared to the fuel usage. Without such ships we would have to use many more smaller less efficient ships and thus use more fuel, so how does that make sense. Or we could just stop trading with other countries and save all that fuel. Stupid argument unless you back it up with something.
As far as Gore making money on his presentations, well thats what happens when people have a job and do it well. So are you saying that someone that gives speeches to large groups of people on the effect and possible prevention of AIDS should not be paid, because well its AIDS. What if they have some investment in a drug company that makes a drug that helps suppress AIDS transmissions, is this wrong? people know this ahead of time but it is still a very influential topic worth listening to and learning about what we can do about it.
Also yea he has a huge and awesome boat, how many times a year does he use it? maybe he just bought it so that no one else could drive the heck out of it and pollute more. (joking...)
Sometimes i just get pissed that people only look at things related to Gore/global warming as a one sided absolute issue. like the ships which are extremely efficient for what they are doing.
If you want something to attack go after the US policy of letting companies pay for polluting the air/water/ground in stead of implementing cleaner practices. the fine for not being clean is cheaper then implementing the fix, so yea industry is not going to clean up. it should be way more expencive to not implement the new standards of clean air and water.
Motor_Yakuza 3:16PM (6/07/2009)
"Just 15 of the world's biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world's 760milion cars"
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/cargo-ship-emissions-more-than-760-million-cars.php#ch01
P.S - I'm no tree hugger hippie, but I wanted to give the source from the ones tho are "so" concerned about the mother nature
Motor_Yakuza 3:22PM (6/07/2009)
@ccdoggy eficient to make money, but not clean air
Just make the gaint cargo ships nuclear first, and then turn your face to us and say that cars are big polluters, u darn hippies
Sea Urchin 3:24PM (6/07/2009)
Motor, according to WSJ the biggest global warming denying newspaper in USA, autos by themselves contribute about 35+ % of CO2.
Look i support strict environmental laws, Clinton and Gore were very much pro environment, so companies knew that the nation was willing to elect environmentalists into the office. Bush was Prez for 8 years, which was more than enough time to prepare for inevitable. They had all the time in the world and they got what they wanted, D3 were pushing for Ethanol, and they got it.
If you ever paid attention to what McCain said he also was close to Obama with strict regulations. Everyone knew this would come, so any company that is still not ready simply has a moron for a CEO.
tuxchown 10:40PM (6/07/2009)
Yeah. Because everybody knows how environmentally responsible it is to drive a Lamborghini...
AngeloD 11:37PM (6/07/2009)
@Nick
Sigh…Nick, spare us your religious rant. Not everyone is a member of your green-religion Church any more than they are all a Muslim or a Christian.
The best scientific centers in the world would have to include M.I.T. wouldn't you agree? There, one of the world's preeminent climate scientists, Richard Lindzen, the Alfred Sloan Professor of Meteorology, has weighed in repeatedly against your religious mythology of anthropogenic global warming.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-440869/Global-warming-bogus-religion-age.html
There are many other eminent scientists like him who doubt anthropogenic global warming, indeed, who doubt that we are even in a warming period. Global mean temperature has fallen for the past 10 years.
You're the denier here Nick. You're the one shrilly shouting down any skeptic, just like the rabid, religious fundamentalist you are.
Oh, and are you denying that Al Gore owns such a boat?
http://www.greendaily.com/2008/09/16/al-gore-draws-flack-for-his-100ft-houseboat/
AngeloD 11:44PM (6/07/2009)
@ccdoggy:
""If you want something to attack go after the US policy of letting companies pay for polluting the air/water/ground in stead of implementing cleaner practices. the fine for not being clean is cheaper then implementing the fix, so yea industry is not going to clean up. it should be way more expencive to not implement the new standards of clean air and water.""
God, what crap. The US has the cleanest industrial sector of any nation with comparable economic output.
You remind me of the Liberals who can never seem to give credit for improved race relations in the US. Even with the election of Obama, the most they'll concede is: "well, at least it keeps the issue of America's deep seated racisim at the forefront" LOL. To them, like you apparently, it's still 1966, with Bull Conner spraying the firehose at Dr. King, and US Steel killing Lake Erie.
Get a clue amigo.
ccdoggy 11:47PM (6/07/2009)
@Motor, im all for nuclear and such advancements. its just that the paranoia around nuclear fuel and all the What If questions that come with it that will cause it to never happen for a really long time. the hoops they would have to jump through to get the stuff alone would be immense. I dont even know if its possible for a company without military contracts to get the fuel.
and they are efficient cost and fuel wise when compared to using many smaller ships to transport the same amount of goods. would you rather take 2 cars on your long trip that get 25 mpg or the suv that gets 20, which produces less co2... get my point.
Heck point the finger at china's coal mine fires that are producing more co2 then all the cars. which means its worse then the ships and its not getting us anything in return.
Bobby S. 11:47PM (6/07/2009)
I didn't except my lame joke to make any discussion ... but this is going overboard lol
Nick 12:20AM (6/08/2009)
@Motor
"Screw Al Gore and all this idiots who don't know or do not want to know that all the cars on the planet, pollute less fuel then 16 big transport cargo ships. And how many ships are in the world? You do the math, so most of this idiotic twips who are blaming cars for "global warming", are just a bunch of ignorant hypocrites."
Do the math? Sure, let's do the math, you'll probably learn something:
Shipping is responsible for 18-30% of all the world's nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution and 9% of the global sulphur oxide (SOx) pollution.
Shipping is responsible for 3.5% to 4% of all climate change emissions
There's 90,000 cargo ships. 16 cargo ships would emit 0.0007111% of all greenhouse gases.
You truly are a piece of human excrement, you are so dumb you don't even realize it. I bet you're in a small town somewhere in the middle of redneck county. I feel sorry for you, your parents couldn't afford a proper education for you, you're now so dumb and brainwashed by Faux News that you can't even think for yourself. For the sake of progress, please shut up and let others do the thinking you amateur.
Motor_Yakuza 6:19AM (6/08/2009)
@Nick Is that all you pathetic liberals can come up with? bla bla bla...redneck....bla bla....fox news..bla bla and then you come with low personal attacks. on a guy and it's folks. that should be funny. Unlike small liberals like you who reproduce the crap that big liberals are saying. I form my own opinion by processing the information I hear or read. And omg, ur stereotyping people, I thought that we, the cons are the "evil monsters" stereotyping people without knowing them. Don't get me wrong, your small insults didn't hurt me at all, just amused me, and reminded me how fake, blind and foolish liberals are.
jpm100 12:41PM (6/07/2009)
"As for the products coming out of the factory, Lamborghini is pursuing several paths towards a goal of 35-percent CO2 reduction by 2015"
When you've never cared about Fuel Economy before it would take almost nothing to copy the technologies other vehicles have had for decades and make gigantic gains. The real question is how much the performance be compromised and would 99% of buyers ever get a chance to even notice the difference.
Reply
Nick 3:00PM (6/07/2009)
@Bakka
Yes, some solar panels (remember there are different types, different technologies) use toxic chemicals in manufacturing, some of them don't at all.
But between removing mountaintops to burn coal 1000 miles away or importing oil halfway across the world, and using the infinite power of the sun, what do you think is better?
Quantumphysics 1:24PM (6/07/2009)
As far as I'm concerned, every single building that faces the sun for long periods of the year should have solar cells on them... or windows with photovoltaic tints.
Reply
pmiddle5 2:07PM (6/07/2009)
indeed. I feel every windy city should be taking advantage of the wind as well. (CHICAGO AND SAN FRAN!!!)
bakka 2:48PM (6/07/2009)
And exactly how are solar panels made? Chemicals of some kind? Are they recyclable? Solar is not so clean.