Lexus surprised us late last year when parent company Toyota presented its EV strategy that also included glimpses of a swoopy supercar. Known as the Electrified Sport, the zero-emissions performance machine traveled from Japan to Europe earlier this year for the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Arriving later this decade, it will serve as the successor to the LFA, but with an EV setup instead of the naturally aspirated V10.
However, the technical specifications remain largely shrouded in mystery, aside from a quoted 435-mile (700-kilometer) range and a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in the two-second low. I’m grateful, upper teeth magazine sat down and chatted with Lexus President Koji Sato about the very promising Electrified Sport equivalent of a road trip. Plot twist – you may be able to paddle your own gear. Well, sort of.
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TG learn the manual gearbox experience will be simulated through special software, which is likely to artificially limit the power of the electric motor to make you change gears and unlock it. Ford has taken a different approach to the Mustang Lithium EV from the 2019 SEMA show as the concept uses a Getrag MT82 six-speed manual with a Torsen differential that sends power to the rear axle.
It’s not set in stone as the fake manual gearbox is just an experiment at this point. Koji Sato refrained from announcing when the electric supercar would launch, but he did share some other interesting information. The Electrified Sport will boast steer-by-wire like all zero-emission Lexus models, and he also says torque vectoring is on the agenda.
Carbon fiber will be used “as needed” and battery placement will not be done.not everything has to be under the floor as Toyota has the freedom to pack it whatever it wants by designing their own battery. When the concept car first launched, Lexus mentioned solid-state batteries would be supported, but Koji Sato said TG technology still needs to be developed.
As a refresher, Toyota will likely be the first automaker to install solid-state batteries in production cars. It’s due in 2025 but in a hybrid rather than an EV.
