I agree with you. I am a retired industrial gear designer, and that gearbox makes me drool. It sure shoots down the stereotypical notion that Japanese engineers are only good at copying and not at designing. This transmission is a masterpiece, and I'm glad they are overtly showing it off. They deserve all the accolades they get.
Btw, those two DC motors really make their presence felt when you floor the 600. I'm amazed they are able to incorporate them in there with all that oil sloshing around just mere centimeters away..
I saw this in person in TokyoAutoSalon a few years ago. It is huge, and the enginuity in it just amaze me.
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VIP = 我が生涯に一片の悔い無し！！！ - ケンシロウ 羅王
I feel you, Greddy! - R.I.P. JDM in USA: Don't ask what JDM business can do for you, ask what you can do for a better JDM market.
Looking at these two specimens, one can see stark differences between them. The ECVT gear system, and the hybrid DC motors together make the 600's transmission a radically simpler design, which results in less clutter, and probably a longer life. Wouldn't you just love to work in the department that puts these babies together?
Here's another partial cutaway that highlights the DC drives.
Burnaby, I agree with you fully about the motors letting themselves be known. I test drove a 460 touring 1'st and a 600hl 2'nd in the same week and the difference was crazy. It was like when I sold my 91 LS and got my 99. They are basically the same cars but not. When I stomped on the 460 it seemed to think then go, whereas the 600 leaped as soon as I stomped and pulled hard. I was shocked at the difference because I know the 600hl is heavier and the power to weight ratio is not too far off from each other. The difference feels much bigger than the numbers lead you to believe. I was sure I would rather have a 460 touring until I drove the 600hl, that sure changed my mind real quick! LOL!
I was shocked at the difference because I know the 600hl is heavier and the power to weight ratio is not too far off from each other. The difference feels much bigger than the numbers lead you to believe.
A wolf in sheep's clothing. The effect comes from the torque injection from the two DC motors nested in the transmission. Unlike internal combustion engines which produce torque through a four cycle engine, DC motors deliver their torque as soon as electrical energy is applied, which is virtually instant. Lexus doesn't market its hybrid vehicles by boasting this simple fact - it wouldn't play well with the green crowd, so it's left for the buyers to discover this secret pleasure - it certainly was a surprise for me. Little wonder hybrid buyers seldom go back to conventional cars.
It would be nice if the LF-A was turned into a hybrid; what a monster that would be.
Guess they don't want hybrids to become bad boys...
Nice link Seize, and good to see you wander in here.
OMG!! Over thirty years ago I used to repair GM auto transmissions. Of course back then they were 3-speed and (relatively) low-tech. This tranny makes me swoon. I'd love to assist their techie when one of these was being stripped and rebuilt.
That's an interesting question. Since the motors operate intermittently, the thermal loads must be negligible. Their operation is dependent on the battery's capacity, which around town is only effective for a couple of miles at most on the flats. So I doubt this would become an issue. Mostly, the motors boost the initial torque requirements and do not run continuously. So thermal dissipation is not a problem, imho.
reminds me of the cut-aways i always see in the business im in. heres a cut away of a Pratt & Whitney PT6 Turbine aircraft engine. looks like nothin is going on compared to the tranny cut away. And quite a steal at more than 100 times the cost of that tranny.
The fans and turbine discs are just movin that air around, heating it up, and speeding it up. extremely basic.
Electrical Engineering 101: DC motors deliver peak torque at 0 rpm, hence the instant kinetic thrust when energized. The duty cycle is also negligible to heat.
Hyundai is currently reverse engineering this motor, it will slowly become commonplace in the next decade with other manufacturers or what remains of the industry.
Inside the LS600H transmission - awesome cut-away pics from the Tokyo Motor Show!
Hybrid Mode
