his fantastic piece of engineering by Lexus may never see the light of day, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want one. Our new favorite Lexus concept design elegantly sits on two wheels. This Lexus hybrid concept bike incorporates a 240 watt electric motor, 25.9 volt lithium battery pack, and a frame constructed of carbon fiber with a 8 speed internal gear system. The Lexus bicycle also has a regenerative braking system, built to convert heat energy from the brakes into electrical energy that is then stored in the battery. It can also be plugged into the mains and recharged in a mere two hours. More images and info after the jump! The rear wheel is powered by you, the rider, using a belt system. The front wheel is driven by an electric motor, which by the looks of things, is mounted in the central hub of the wheel itself. Carbon fibre helps keep weight to a minimum and this wouldn’t be a Lexus without a healthy dollop of leather. Regenerative braking and automatic transmission make this one of the most advanced bicycles ever conceived. Lexus has established itself as an industry leader in bringing advanced technologies to the premium car market. Now it has applied the same thinking on a smaller scale to create the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle, a design concept the captures the fundamental engineering and design values of the brand, but with two wheels rather than four.
In every aspect this is Lexus, from the L-finesse design language of the engaging and elegant frame, to the application of hybrid power, an electric eight-speed transmission and lightweight carbon fibre construction. Lexus has brought what is one of the only two examples in existence to the UK for the first time, following the bicycle’s debut at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. Its arrival coincides with the announcement of Lexus’s title sponsorship of the Great British Bike Ride, a four-day charity fun ride that will see hundreds of cyclists following a course from Land’s End to the home of English rugby at Twickenham. Lexus has pioneered high performance, low emissions and optimum fuel efficiency with its full hybrid Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain technology.
The Hybrid Bicycle adopts similar principles, with the pedal power of the rider boosted by assistance to the front wheel from a 240W electric motor, via a 25.9V Lithium-ion battery, with a choice of Eco or Power modes. And, as with Lexus Hybrid Drive, there is an energy regeneration function that helps recharge the battery by capturing kinetic energy generated under braking. The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle has all-wheel drive, by means of a belt system. It is equipped with an electric eight-speed Shimano internal gear system, which references the sophisticated eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission of Lexus’s LS 600h limousine. The carbon fibre construction shares the same light-but-strong composite materials technology that was used on Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP-winning motorcycle. There are no current plans for the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle to become a production model.
