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.