Lexus was a pioneer in the field of hybrid cars, seeing the technology's potential far ahead of its competitors, but hesitant to use electricity completely. Finally, at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019, when it unveiled a futuristic concept called LF-30 Electrified, it showed its vision for a luxury battery-powered car.
The LF-30 Electrified arrives as a design-driven, tech-savvy model that retains Lexus' value, but breaks almost all relationships with members of the company's current range and does not easily enter existing market segments. . It is wider than its LS, the company's flagship sedan, and its length is significantly different.
The concept shows how Lexus plans to recreate the design language when branching into the electric vehicle sector. Koichi Suga, the company's design director, asked his team not to completely remove the spindle grille from the Digital Trends through a translator. Electric vehicles require less cooling than gasoline models, but they need air to prevent overheating of the components that make up the drive train. Besides, the spindle grille has become an important part of the company identity. Even if your Lexus model is far away, it will set you apart from the crowd. Suga does not aspire to abandon that stake and start from scratch. The spindle will then remain.
Regarding LF-30, Digital Trends said, “I think our future can be similar to this design.
Peeling the body reveals a state-of-the-art power train built around a 110 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Operate a four-wheel drive electric motor to achieve up to 536 horsepower in the drive train. Instead of plugging wheels into each axle, an unofficial standard for 2019, giving each wheel its own motor creates a more compact drivetrain that can be more easily controlled and adapted to a variety of driving conditions. Lexus insisted on checking the concept's maximum range of travel at 310 miles, although this concept was obtained using an optimistic WLTP test cycle.
The LF-30 can drive on its own when the right conditions are met, and is full of clever technical features never seen before. For example, take Airporter. It is a drone that picked up luggage autonomously in front of the house and dropped it directly on the trunk. Once inside, you can see that the user interface is designed to allow passengers to board without having to perform basic functions such as punching addresses into the navigation system without having to take their eyes off the road. unbend. There is an individual entertainment screen right in front of the passenger seat, where the passenger seat can literally sit and watch the movie displayed on the glass roof. Lexus is called SkyGate. The rear seat occupant can also display a starry sky or navigational direction, depending on your mood.
Koji Sato, vice president, firmly believes that in-wheel motors are the future for digital trends. In addition, the technology has acknowledged that it is not yet ready for mass production, and it may take several years for the transition from exhibition to exhibition. Fine. There is time. The LF-30 previews the Lexus's appearance and driving in 2030.
In the meantime, Lexus has promised to supply all nameplates sold by 2025. This does not mean that it uses electricity completely. Electricization is a generic term that includes light hybrids, generic hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen electric vehicles, and of course EVs. The first plug-in hybrid Lexus will be released in early 2020, just like its first series production EV. Electric Lexus models will ultimately sell over non-electric cars.
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