Buzz
Koji Sato's career has seen him navigate through numerous roles. Currently, he serves as the Chairman of Lexus International. Previously, he was the chief engineer, chairman of GAZOO Racing, and also served as the chief operating officer and brand director at Toyota. But after a recent interview with Top Gear UK, perhaps we should add the title of 'mad scientist' to Sato.The reason is quite simple. In the interview, Toyota and Lexus's talented engineer told his colleagues are experimenting with an electronic system to simulate a manual gearbox on the upcoming electric supercar, the successor to the legendary LFA. The goal of these experiments is to create an exciting driving experience for electric cars, with gear shifts that provide the thrill for car enthusiasts.
Sato, the chairman, says: 'Doing crazy things is a hobby of mine. I want to find a more engaging connection, even in electric cars, a connection between the car and the driver. Electric cars are not just about performance. I love cars and want to do something different.'
The fundamental issue lies in the fact that electric cars do not need a multi-gear transmission system, simply because the electric motor can reach extremely high RPMs, and more importantly, there is no need to run the engine at a certain RPM to generate maximum torque to propel the car forward like a petrol engine. Electric cars can generate maximum torque from the moment you press the accelerator while the car is stationary. For example, the Tesla Model S has an electric motor operating at a maximum of 20,000 RPM, while the Lexus LFA is only 9,000, which is already a high figure in the automotive world. In other words, only one transmission ratio is enough to operate the vehicle from 0 km/h to the maximum speed.
That's in theory, in reality, at high RPMs, the power and operating efficiency of the electric motor also decrease. Therefore, both the Porsche Taycan and the Audi e-tron GT use a 2-speed gearbox in the rear-wheel-drive unit. Similarly, the Formula E race car, despite using an electric motor, is also equipped with a 3-speed gearbox. Lexus's idea is how to maximize this system to turn technical requirements into something that creates an exciting driving experience.
Sato also highlighted the clear advantage of electric cars over gasoline ones, which is the almost instantaneous response speed of the electric current. The idea of the Lexus chairman and the Japanese engineers sounds appealing. Simulating software to create the sensation of driving a manual transmission car, although not as authentic as shifting gears, appears to be a creative breakthrough, allowing Lexus to produce a unique product compared to the rest of the electric supercar world, alongside other names like Rimac or Lotus.
Lexus's electric supercar concept has no commercial name yet, nor an official launch schedule, but the goal is a car that can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 2 seconds (compared to the LFA's 3.7 seconds), with a range of 700 km per charge, thanks to the solid-state battery system being researched by Toyota. The four wheels will have torque vectoring, intelligently transmitting torque when cornering.
Similar to the LFA, Lexus's new supercar will also feature a carbon fiber body, and all technology details will be secondary when developing this model: 'I really want it to be the most luxurious product, describing the future of the Lexus driving experience, to demonstrate the experience of owning a Lexus.'
According to Car and Driver
