Lexus Hybrid Interactive Guide | How It Works

Every Lexus hybrid is capable of delivering the best of both worlds: high performance and noteworthy fuel economy.

Our revolutionary Lexus Hybrid Drive system couples the torque of a clean-running, high-output electric drive motor with the cruising power of an efficient gas engine. These two motive forces are combined synergistically via the Electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT), a planetary automatic transmission with infinitely variable gear ratios that continuously change depending on vehicle speed and engine rpm. The end result is an optimal allocation of electric-drive and gas-engine power to meet the demands of the driver.

Performance and seamless acceleration are always available with a simple press of the accelerator. Better fuel economy is realized through efficient driving techniques. The degree of economy you ultimately experience with your Lexus hybrid will relate to how you choose to enjoy your vehicle during everyday driving.

Finally, all Lexus hybrids are built with the same overriding concern for your safety as are our conventional vehicles. They feature rigid body construction, strategic crumple zones, and an advanced network of airbags to help protect you and your passengers.

Starting from a Stop

When starting from a stop under normal conditions, only the electric drive is used. This provides a gentle, quiet takeoff. When a more powerful launch is desired, the electric drive works in combination with the gas engine to provide maximum acceleration. In both cases, a Lexus hybrid enjoys immediate torque optimization impossible with a gas engine alone.

While cruising, power from the gas engine is allocated to the drive wheels and to a motor generator that produces energy for the electric drive. This ensures maximum fuel efficiency at all engine output levels.

When extra acceleration is desired, the battery provides added power to the electric drive, resulting in a quiet, smooth, and intelligent response. As speed increases, the gas engine provides power while the electric drive operates in harmony with the ECVT to maintain precise control of engine output. The overall result is a smooth and powerful acceleration curve without the jarring shift points experienced in a conventional car.

When a Lexus hybrid vehicle slows, the system suspends its delivery of drive power and converts to generating electricity. Thanks to a highly effective regenerative braking system, kinetic energy usually lost during braking is instead converted to electricity and sent back to the battery.

Unlike conventional vehicles, which must idle and consume fuel even at a standstill, a Lexus hybrid switches off its gas engine when decelerating and at a stop, saving fuel and minimizing emissions. The electric motor remains on and available for immediate takeoff.

Unexpected Performance

The instantaneous torque delivery of Lexus Hybrid Drive powered vehicles makes them quicker to launch than comparable gas vehicles. As speed increases, the gas engine provides power while the electric drive motor maintains precise control of engine output, resulting in a smoother acceleration curve with no jarring shift points. The overall sense of acceleration coupled with good response is a feeling unlike anything experienced in a conventionally powered vehicle—it’s a new sensation in driving performance.

Astonishingly Quiet

Since hybrids are driven by their electric motors when starting and traveling slowly, and during low-load cruising, the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) level is considerably lower than that of a conventional gasoline-powered engine, providing an extremely quiet ride. This calm and soothing atmosphere represents a different dimension of quietness.

Lexus hybrids achieve low fuel consumption that is notably superior to comparable gas-powered vehicles. This is due to the synergistic effects of efficiently dividing use between the gas engine and electric drive motor, as well as the ability to reclaim energy during braking.

Lexus hybrids are rated as Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (SULEV), emitting about 70 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than conventional gas engines. Also, since the less fuel a vehicle burns the less carbon dioxide it adds to the atmosphere, Lexus hybrids can help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

Is there a Lexus hybrid in your future? We invite you to take a test drive at your nearest Lexus dealer.