Right Lane Cruiser
09-21-2009, 08:35 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg Lexus swears that this hybrid powertrain provides V6 performance, but let’s not kid ourselves. (http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/09/21/feature-lexus-hs-250h-hybrid-technology.htm)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Lexus_HS_250h1.jpgHaney Louka - CANADIANDRIVER (http://www.canadiandriver.com) - September 21, 2009
Is Lexus marketing this vehicle properly? --Ed.
Winnipeg, Manitoba - It was difficult at first to know for sure, and somewhat anticlimactic when we did confirm it: Lexus’ first dedicated hybrid model, the HS 250h, does not actually possess any new hybrid technology. That’s okay, though, because the car comes from a company that sits at the forefront of mass-production hybrid technology. So Lexus had a veritable smorgasbord from which to pick and choose the most appropriate technologies for installation in the new HS.
But first, the basics. The new HS drives on what is termed a “parallel-series” gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. Such an arrangement is used on all Toyota and Lexus hybrids (along with Ford and Nissan) and is distinct from Honda’s system in that the car can drive on electric-only propulsion in a variety of low-speed and low-load conditions. Honda’s “mild” parallel hybrid system can now shut off the gasoline engine under deceleration and coasting conditions, but actual propulsion still requires the gasoline engine to operate. Both systems, however, have an automatic stop function that is activated when the vehicle comes to a rest.
Now back to the HS: the gas engine is the 2.4-litre Atkinson cycle unit from the current Camry Hybrid. The Atkinson cycle engine works on the principle that a lower exhaust temperature yields a more thermally efficient engine, i.e., less energy is lost as waste heat out the tailpipe. Lengthening the power, or expansion, stroke in an engine accomplishes just that because it lengthens the amount of time between combustion and the... http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/09/21/feature-lexus-hs-250h-hybrid-technology.htm
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Lexus_HS_250h1.jpgHaney Louka - CANADIANDRIVER (http://www.canadiandriver.com) - September 21, 2009
Is Lexus marketing this vehicle properly? --Ed.
Winnipeg, Manitoba - It was difficult at first to know for sure, and somewhat anticlimactic when we did confirm it: Lexus’ first dedicated hybrid model, the HS 250h, does not actually possess any new hybrid technology. That’s okay, though, because the car comes from a company that sits at the forefront of mass-production hybrid technology. So Lexus had a veritable smorgasbord from which to pick and choose the most appropriate technologies for installation in the new HS.
But first, the basics. The new HS drives on what is termed a “parallel-series” gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. Such an arrangement is used on all Toyota and Lexus hybrids (along with Ford and Nissan) and is distinct from Honda’s system in that the car can drive on electric-only propulsion in a variety of low-speed and low-load conditions. Honda’s “mild” parallel hybrid system can now shut off the gasoline engine under deceleration and coasting conditions, but actual propulsion still requires the gasoline engine to operate. Both systems, however, have an automatic stop function that is activated when the vehicle comes to a rest.
Now back to the HS: the gas engine is the 2.4-litre Atkinson cycle unit from the current Camry Hybrid. The Atkinson cycle engine works on the principle that a lower exhaust temperature yields a more thermally efficient engine, i.e., less energy is lost as waste heat out the tailpipe. Lengthening the power, or expansion, stroke in an engine accomplishes just that because it lengthens the amount of time between combustion and the... http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/09/21/feature-lexus-hs-250h-hybrid-technology.htm