He makes it sound so simple: “engine, battery, motor.” This is Shinichi Abe, in his office in Japan, explaining the basics of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system, pronouncing the “t” of motor with a soft “d”—an indicator of the years he spent with Lexus in the U.S.
He’s telling me again, as he did in part one and part two of this series, that the Lexus Hybrid Drive system’s electric motor is really where the fun starts, thanks to the extra boost of instant power it delivers.
What I want to look at now, though, is the future of Lexus hybrid systems, and Lexus’ top hybrid engineer is happy to oblige.
“The simplicity of Lexus’ hybrid engine-battery-motor platform is what makes it so adaptable to the future,” he explains. “It’s easily adaptable, for instance, to fuel cell technology. Then there are bio-fuels. Here, the basic system would stay the same.”
What about a plug-in Lexus hybrid, I ask? This is a hybrid system where a gas-electric hybrid’s electric motor gets charged externally—a home outlet, say—for more electrical juice than regenerative breaking provides (Lexus’ current system) but with more electric staying power. And like a current Lexus hybrid, this type of plug-in hybrid car eventually engages the engine on longer trips.
I also ask Abe whether Lexus is exploring electric-only vehicles, such as plug-in vehicles that rely solely on electric power, with no gas engine.
“Some people say that it would be better to jump straight to electric vehicles,” answers Abe. “But again, it wouldn’t be right for Lexus at this stage, as there are still too many [electric-only] limitations. So plug-ins, with an engine, would be the natural way to go.”
However, Abe points out that Lexus plug-in vehicles will only be made when they’re ready to meet a long list of Lexus driver-desired performance needs, which Abe and his team constantly examine. Not before.
We also explore Lexus’ role in Vehicle to Grid technology, an automotive idea getting much attention recently. V2G, as it’s also known, establishes a two-way connection between a vehicle and a local power grid. In this scenario, a Lexus owner would either plug in and charge up the vehicle, or plug in and sell the car’s surplus power back to the grid.
Could we be looking at the start of a beautiful relationship?
Abe says he’s looked at—and likes—the V2G possibilities, but he also tells me that even the newest automotive batteries deteriorate quickly during the V2G process. In his view, a dedicated home battery that bridges the vehicle and grid would be a better near-term solution.
As we wrap up, it’s obvious to me that Abe and his team—perhaps because they were some of the first to explore the possibilities—have a deep understanding of automotive energy’s technological landscape. Which is why, no doubt, they’ll probably be the first to make the next jump to something even better.
Courtesy of Lexus Magazine
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