Terzo Millennio Concept is the joint project of Lamborghini and MIT

Massachusetts may not be the first thing that comes to mind when hypercars are the subject of the conversation. There aren’t even any race tracks or mountain roads in the area. That’s why it’s quite a surprise for many people that the future of fast cars can be seen now in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

These all began when Lamborghini joined forces with a select group of MIT geniuses. This resulted into an all-new concept car they call the Terzo Millennio, which translates to “Third Millennium” in English. The machine has the design and engineering of a Lamborghini. Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Italian automaker, describes this as “an important page in the future of the super sports car.”

When you hear Third Millennium, please know that it doesn’t refer to the next generation Lamborghini. Instead, it is the code for technology and design that could come to fruition in the near future.

What MIT developed for Lamborghini includes an advanced energy storage system and a little more push in terms of material science. Professor Mircea Dinca from Department of Chemistry and Professor Anastasios John Hart from the Department of Mechanical Engineering are both working with the automaker’s R&D specialists.

If you look closely at the Terzo Millennio’s design, it would remind you of an Aston Martin Valkyrie. It is also evident that it is a performance machine with an ultra lightweight structure for aerodynamic efficiency. The design is purposeful in that non-essential space is exposed rather than being covered. All four wheels also get an electric motor each.

As for the powertrain, the team wants to give the Terzo Millennio a set of advanced supercapacitors and energy storage built integrally into the vehicle’s body. High peak power that brings power to the four wheels is one of its main features. Furthermore, it comes with fast recharging, which is described as a method of effective regeneration by way of kinetic energy. They also aim for the battery age / cycle to degrade slower.

The coolest part about this is how it was all made. For instance, the car’s body is built into its body panels. This was made with carbon fiber nanotubes and batteries that can be shaped and are thin enough to be sandwiched between inner and outer layers. And of course, they have to be powerful enough to supply the insane power demands of a four-motor EV super sports car. Its carbon fiber body should also keep its weight at a minimum.

Furthermore, Lamborghini and MIT are trying to develop a new carbon fiber material that will be able to “heal” itself if in case it cracks.

The Terzo Millennio is definitely a preview of what’s to come in the future. We may not see all the cutting-edge features in this car, but they did say to expect the new technology to be applied in future road cars.