Lexus debuts first all-electric vehicle

Is the Lexus EV coming to the U.S.?

It’s official! There’s an all-new Lexus electric vehicle in the works. In fact, the UX 300e is the automaker’s first electric vehicle. This good-looking crossover SUV has a 201-hp front motor and a 54.3kWh battery that together are estimated to deliver up to 250 miles of range.

Unfortunately, the new EV is not expected to come to the U.S. – at least not yet! Lexus is building this model for the Chinese market and will send the first shipments to China and then to the UK and Europe in 2021.

What is the Lexus UX300e?

Essentially, it is an electrified version of the Lexus UX. Overall, it’s very difficult to tell that the UX300e is an electric vehicle.

Perhaps the only distinction is the vehicle’s “electric” badge near the rear doors. In addition, the UX300e does feature a unique wheel design.

Inside the cabin, the UX300e has a variety of updates, including a new shifter design and the addition of paddle shifters. The new paddle shifters behind the wheel are expected to give drivers up to four levels of brake regeneration.

What is brake regeneration?

Energy can’t be destroyed, but it can be transformed. Apply this to braking. Braking is not efficient, and energy is lost. That’s because heat, an energy byproduct that is perceived as a loss, is produced when brake pads press against brake rotors.

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Brake regeneration capture’s the EV’s energy that would have been lost when decelerating and transforms it so the energy can continue to be used. When the brake is applied, the EV switches the motor so the vehicle’s wheels move in the opposite direction. It’s in this process that the EV captures and transforms energy in order to stay as efficient as possible.

While the Lexus UX300e isn’t expected to come to the U.S., we are hopeful that electric Lexus models will be on the horizon for the U.S. soon. Stay tuned! From all of us at Lexus of Concord, thank you for reading!

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