Lamborghini Opens Carbon Fibre Research Facility in the US

Lamborghini has its roots in Italy, no doubt about it, but the company's future innovations, especially carbon fibre technology will be developed in Seattle, Washington. Called the Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL), this new facility will operate as an entity outside Lamborghini's headquarters in Bologna. It will be responsible for unlocking new potential in carbon fibre.

By car&bike Team

1 mins read

Published on June 22, 2016

Highlights

The R&D facility will be based in the US
The research on carbon fibre will help in development of cars
Expect the Urus SUV to come with this lightweight technology

Lamborghini has its roots in Italy, no doubt about it, but the company's future innovations, especially carbon fibre technology will be developed in the US. Called the Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL), this new facility will operate as an entity outside Lamborghini's headquarters and will be based out of Seattle, Washington. It will be responsible for unlocking new potential in carbon fibre. The opening of the facility also marks the 30th anniversary of Lamborghini's use of carbon fibre reinforced polymer in its vehicles. The Countach Quattrovalvole was the first production car from Lamborghini to use carbon fibre components and since then we've seen the technology grow and make its way into cars like the Sesto Elemento which tipped the scales at just 998kg thanks to the extensive usage of this material Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Seattle was chosen as a strategic location for the facility and this is because of the Italian car maker's collaboration with Boeing in working toward carbon fibre innovations. The application is beneficial for both automotive and aerospace. But the most significant development to come from research within the ACSL is Forged Carbon Composite. This shortens the amount of production time needed to form components compared to traditional methods which are more labour intensive. According to the folks at Lamborghini, "It's faster to make and requires less energy than traditional carbon fibre." So, there is a lot in store and after having seen the companies play a pivotal role in the development of material for the Aventador's lightweight monocoque, we are left wondering what would be next on the cards. Lamborghini Carbon Fibre Research Facility Washington is a hotbed for carbon fibre development and BMW already operates the Moses Lake factory in the state, which sees them produce material for the i3, i8, and other models. Lamborghini, however, claims that it is the only company in the whole world certified to repair carbon fibre and that is a big deal for sure. But the material is sure to come in handy especially when the successor to the Huracan and Aventador is announced but we'll see it benefit the upcoming Urus SUV the most and that might just be the factor which will blow our minds away.