Lexus hybrid cars

The Lexus Hybrid Drive project first received the green light in the early 2000s and was based on Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) hybrid car technologies. The world's first ever luxury hybrid vehicle was RX 400h. Over the next four years the RX 400h paved the way for an entire family of luxury hybrid sedans, first the Lexus GS 450h in 2005 (the world's first hybrid luxury sedan) and then the LS 600h L in 2006. The transmission in every Lexus hybrid, controlled by a harmonious balance of the driver's wishes and computer software, contributes to an all-around optimal driving experience that embodies Lexus' four hybrid-vehicle pillars: cleanliness, quietness, fuel efficiency, and fun.

Lexus Hybrid Drive

Lexus Hybrid Drive means that the vehicle contains a gasoline engine and electric motors for power. The two hybrid power sources are stored on board the vehicle: gasoline stored in the fuel tank for the gasoline engine, electricity stored in a high voltage Hybrid Vehicle (HV) battery pack for the electric motor. The result of combining these two power sources is improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. The gasoline engine also powers an electric generator to recharge the battery pack; unlike a pure all electric vehicle, the car never needs to be recharged from an external electric power source.

Depending on the driving conditions one or both sources are used to power the vehicle. During light acceleration at low speeds, the vehicle is powered by the electric motor, the gasoline engine is shut off. During normal driving, the vehicle is powered mainly by the gasoline engine and the gasoline engine also powers the generator to recharge the battery pack. During full acceleration, such as climbing a hill, both the gasoline engine and the electric motor power the vehicle. During deceleration, such as when braking, the vehicle regenerates the kinetic energy from the wheels to produce electricity that recharges the battery pack. While the vehicle is stopped, the gasoline engine and electric motor are off, however the vehicle remains on and operational.

To reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions Lexus Hybrid Drive uses an Atkinson-cycle engine and Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation. The basic steps of internal combustion are intake (fuel and air enter the cylinder); compression (the piston rises up and squeezes the fuel-air mixture); combustion (the spark plug ignites the compressed fuel-air mixture, sending the piston downward); and exhaust (the resulting gases from the ignition explosion leave the cylinder before the cycle begins again). A gas engine piston goes through several of these steps before it can impart adequate torque, the spinning of a shaft that eventually leads to the spinning of the wheels.

Lexus Hybrid Drive's new Atkinson cycle improves this process. A little air is allowed to escape through the intake valve during the compression step. Letting a little air back out of the cylinder: instead of igniting it all with the fuel, allows the rising piston to compress the smaller fuel-air mixture farther up the cylinder than normal. Once this fuel-air mixture finally ignites, the resulting gases now have more room to expand downward, which results in more pressure on the piston, which in turn leads to more torque and better gas-engine efficiency.

The Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation captures some exhaust gas (instead of expelling it all after the exhaust step), stabilizes its temperature, and then sends it back into the cylinders to minimize the pumping losses (the work required to move air in and out of the cylinders), which help reduce emissions levels.

An electric motor, which requires no piston-moving gaseous explosions to create torque, can create it immediately. Pairing an electric motor to an ultra-efficient gas engine not only leads to great eco benefits - it helps make a vehicle more responsive.

High voltage Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Hybrid Vehicle (HV) battery pack contains sealed batteries that are similar to rechargeable batteries used in some battery operated power tools and other consumer products. High voltage electricity powers the A/C compressor, electric motors, generator, and inverter/converter. All other conventional automotive electrical devices such as the headlights, radio, and gauges are powered from a separate lead-acid 12 Volt auxiliary battery.

Lexus hybrid models