LEXUS HYBRID DRIVE PART 1:
THE RISE OF ELECTRIC POWER

Look back 20 years and you will see that Lexus has a habit of reinvention. The Lexus brand emerged with a vehicle that introduced a new world of automotive refinement, the LS. Then there was the first RX. And now we have Lexus Hybrid Drive.

At the head of the project is Shinichi Abe. When the Lexus Hybrid Drive project first got the green light, Abe considered how he could demonstrate the technology’s potential to its fullest. What better challenge than an SUV? The result was the RX 400h. ‘The emphasis was on good fuel economy, low emissions and driveability,’ he remembers. ‘You need power in an SUV.’

FUEL EFFICIENCY AND FUN

It was a bold move that resolved an age-old paradox: strong performance no longer came at the price of low fuel economy and high emissions.

‘We have four pillars for a hybrid – cleanness, quietness, fuel efficiency and fun. As we’ve developed our vehicles, we have achieved all of them. But there is still room for improvement,’ Abe says.

And improvement is happening all the time. Motors, batteries, Power Control Units – they’re all getting smaller, more efficient, more powerful.

The RX 400h paved the way for a new breed of luxury saloon, the GS and LS hybrids. Abe recalls: ‘When I first drove the LS prototype, I felt a non-stop speeding up, which was incredible. It felt like being in a jet plane that’s taking off. With conventional gearing, I would have felt the steps between shift changes, but there was only seamless acceleration.’

THE FUTURE OF LEXUS HYBRID DRIVE

Abe says that the aim is to have a hybrid version of every model by 2020 and for the cars to be in the same pricing ballpark as those with conventional transmissions, adding that plug-in electric cars charged by an external power source have ‘tremendous potential’.

The future beckons. Clearly, Shinichi Abe wouldn’t have it any other way.

'WE HAVE FOUR PILLARS FOR A HYBRID - CLEANNESS, QUIETNESS, FUEL EFFICIENCY AND FUN'

To experience the efficient high power of a Lexus hybrid, sign up for a test drive here.

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Back to The Hybrid

FULL HYBRID, TOTAL FLEXIBILITY

Challenging the idea that a choice must be made between petrol and electric cars, Lexus Hybrid Drive technology allows Lexus vehicles to run on petrol only, a combination of petrol and electric power, and, uniquely, electric power only. Four core functions ensure flexibility and efficiency:

  • Engine stop

    Stops the engine at specific times when it’s not needed, improving fuel efficiency, cutting emissions and reducing noise.

  • Motor-assist

    Allows vehicles to run with smaller engines, yet still deliver high power.

  • EV mode

    Allows Lexus Hybrid Drive vehicles to be driven by the electric motor only. Zero emissions, zero noise. Only Lexus offers this feature.