Driving the Future

A hybrid electric vehicle has two power sources: a gas engine and an electric motor. In a full hybrid electric system – like our Self-Charging Lexus Hybrid Drive ­– both sources can power the car on their own, or they can team up to work together.

Our Hybrid Electric system monitors your driving conditions and seamlessly controls the flow of power. The result is increased efficiency, lower emissions, and optimised performance. At the same time, a Lexus Hybrid Electric recharges its hybrid battery as it drives. Which means you never need to plug in or wait for a charge.

Gas engines perform best at constant speeds, while electric motors are great for accelerating and for cruising at low speeds. Lexus Hybrid Electric vehicles harness the benefits of both.

In a Lexus Self-Charging Hybrid Electric, an innovative Power Control Unit continuously monitors driving conditions, and selects the best power source for any given moment -- seamlessly switching between the two, or combining both. The optimum choice is made for you, so you can enjoy enhanced power, swift acceleration and dynamic handling.

As you travel, any excess energy is routed to the battery for charging. The regenerative braking system also captures energy normally lost in the act of braking, and uses it to help recharge the battery. All of this working together delivers both remarkable fuel efficiency and low emissions. In fact, when you are driving with electric power alone, your car generates almost no emissions whatsoever.

At Lexus, your safety and of those around you, is a driving force behind everything we do, and every advancement we make. That’s why Lexus Hybrid Electric vehicles are designed and engineered to the same rigorous standards as our conventional gas models. It’s why the battery pack and any high voltage components are well protected from casual contact.

A hybrid electric vehicle only uses fuel when it really needs to. When you’re travelling at low speeds, your vehicle will seamlessly switch to electric power. This means a hybrid electric car is efficient, economical and has low emissions, even when you’re accelerating. With the ability to use both sources of power – gas engine and electric motor – your vehicle’s overall performance is optimized across all speed ranges.

Unlike some other systems, Lexus Hybrid Drive can run purely on electric power at lower speeds. This means exceptionally low emissions, and great efficiency. Competitor systems tend to have much smaller electric motors which only work alongside the gas engine – they can’t power the car alone.

There’s no need. The intelligent Power Control Unit monitors your driving conditions and seamlessly controls the flow of power, to lower emissions and boost performance when you’re on the road. From start up, to acceleration, mid-journey, and deceleration, the optimum choice is made for you.

There’s no need to charge your Lexus Self-Charging Hybrid Electric – it’s always ready to go. As with a conventional vehicle, the battery can go flat if it’s not used for an extended period. But that’s unlikely. And if it does happen, the gas engine will start your car. In addition, the battery is recharged as you drive so that you never need to plug in or wait for a charge.

The range of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle depends on the level of battery charge, the driving conditions, and how heavily your car is loaded.

As with any car, it’s still important to pay attention to the driving conditions, and take extra care when needed. Always avoid driving if there are severe weather warnings.

Never. Lexus Self-Charging Hybrid Electric vehicles never need plugging in – they recharge as you drive.

Yes. Lexus Self-Charging Hybrid Electrics are covered by the same comprehensive warranty as our gas powered luxury vehicles plus an 8 year/160,000 km Hybrid Component and 10 year/240,000 km High Voltage Battery warranty.

Our focus on safety extends to safety professionals. That’s why we created Emergency Response Guides to assist first responders and help them to act accordingly in the event of an emergency or collision with a Lexus Hybrid Electric vehicle. Search for Emergency Dismantling Guides

A Lexus Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEV) combines the power from a gas engine and powerful motors. It operates much like our conventional hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV), using the power sources individually or automatically and seamlessly blending them together to maximize output depending on driving needs and conditions. Because the PHEV has a larger battery, you are able to run longer in EV mode alone.

They are very similar. They can both be driven in electric vehicle mode, but the biggest difference is the distances that you can drive using just electric power alone. With the self-charging hybrid, you can only drive a few kilometers at a time on pure electricity before the gasoline engine kicks back in to provide additional power. Whereas the larger battery of the plug-in hybrid allows for a greater range of EV driving, even at highway speeds.

Lexus NX Plug-in Hybrid has an estimated Electric Only (EV) mode range of 59 km. Once EV range has been depleted, the vehicle automatically switches from EV mode to Hybrid Electric Vehicle mode (HEV), and operates like a regular hybrid electric.

The NX Plug-in Hybrid can travel up to 134 km/h in Electric Only (EV) mode. When combined with the power of the gas engine, the NX Plug-in Hybrid can travel from 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds.

You should never drive an NX Plug-in Hybrid without gasoline in the tank. Under certain conditions, you can drive on electric power alone. However, the vehicle always requires gasoline to operate properly.

No. NX Plug-in Hybrid has four battery heaters located beneath the high-capacity Lithium-ion battery. These help to warm the battery up before charging, and improve cold weather performance.

No. Like Lexus’ self-charging hybrid electrics, NX Plug-in Hybrid recharges on the go. However, without plugging in to charge the vehicle, you can only restore up to 80 percent of your Electric Only (EV) driving range

No special equipment is required. The NX Plug-in Hybrid is equipped with a 6.6 kWh onboard charger. capable of Level 1 (120 volt) or Level 2 (240 volt) charging. Which means you can plug the vehicle into a typical household outlet (120 volt). However, it will charge significantly faster using a Level 2 source, such as a stove or dryer outlet. You can also choose to install a Level 2 charging station to take advantage of the faster charging times.

Level 2 Home Chargers like ChargePoint can be installed at home by a licensed electrician.

Learn more about ChargePoint Level 2 Home Charger

NX Plug-in Hybrid is capable of both Level 1 (120 volt) and Level 2 (240 volt) charging. Using a Level 1 source with a 12 amp charging rate, it will take approximately 12 hours to fully charge the battery.
Using a Level 2 source set to the maximum rate of 32 amps, the battery can fully recharge in 2.5 hours. At 16 amps, it will take 4.5 hours.

No. NX Plug-in Hybrid will run on a partially charged battery that also recharges as you drive. However, by fully charging the battery, you get the most from the system – able to travel at faster speeds, and go longer distances using electric power only.

Yes. You can set a charging schedule to suit your preferences – selecting to have charging completed by a certain departure time or be carried out at the same time on specific days.
With a charging event scheduled, you can also set the interior to be preconditioned – heated or cooled – to help ensure that the cabin temperature is comfortable when it is time to leave.

The hybrid-related components in the NX Plug-in Hybrid, such as the hybrid control module and inverter, are covered by a 96 month / 180,000 km warranty, while the electric motors are covered by the 72 month / 110,000 km powertrain warranty.
The high-voltage hybrid battery is covered by an impressive 120 month / 240,000 km* warranty, whichever comes first, as is the case for all Lexus time / distance warranties.