Doesn't start/stop put extra wear n tear on the engine or no? I imagine this happening 20 times a day over 6 years has to do something vs only 3 times a day of start and shut off? Just curious.

 

Toyota has start-stop tech for non hybrid motors. Used in markets outside the US. 1.2 turbo comes to mind. The current Highlander in the US has it. All of the hybrids have this feature too.

 

I proposed that same question when the technology first debuted. I had the same concern. But the experts weighed in and said it does not cause premature wear. I still believe it may if they don't beef up starter components (maybe they have).

 

There should be no extra wear on the engine once it is warmed up and properly lubricated, and idle-stop systems are designed not to shut off the engine until it is warmed up. I don't see why there would be extra wear on the engine. If you leave the engine running while the car is stopped, would there not be wear on the engine?

The concern is that idle-stop systems put more wear on the starter but the starters on idle-stop systems have been beefed up to prevent this.

 

And the idle-stop idea is just a stepping-stone on the way to full hybridization, where the "starter" motor is built into the powertrain, not engaging and disengaging in the traditional fashion. The 3.5L ICE on my RX is started and stopped many dozens of times even in the course of a short trip to the market, and since the starting is done by a beefy motor/generator driven by circuits delivering 600v, the spinning-up is pretty much transparent to the driver.

As for the Lexus comment about turbos, perhaps they will be moving to a world where perhaps half of the total horsepower can come from the hybrid motors under full-throttle (but temporary) conditions. Lots of power but only for 30 seconds or so. Plenty for passing; not so much for climbing Pikes Peak.

One additional thought: I am not a tree-hugger and didn't buy the RX hybrid to save the planet--I just thought it was brilliant technology meant to address the weaknesses of ICE operation. What I have concluded is that I most enjoy shift-free driving. The ICE and a big motor/generator share a planetary gearset such that the computer can tell the motor to spin forwards or backwards in order to put the ICE at an appropriate rpm for power needs at that instant. So no need for a bunch of gears to provide fixed ratios. Nowadays when I drive a conventional car I am aware of the constant hunt-and-peck of the powertrain, upshifting and downshifting to try to find a good rpm for the ICE for the moment. Downright primitive.

 

The IS300h was always less likely to succeed in the US. It is too slow, and the powertrain responds to the throttle like the last gen Prius. And there was some rumour that the boot floor mounted battery was incompatible with some regulations. It’s a very noisy powertrain when accelerating even moderately hard. The car itself is quite good, but this type of hybrid powertrain would have only frustrated keen drivers who wanted to exploit its excellent rwd handling and 50/50 weight distribution.

BMW hybrids on the other hand, is using a version of the excellent ZF 8 speed gearbox developed with hybrid drive in mind by replacing the torque converter with a powerful motor.

Recently i I drove the BMW G30 320d. That is a diesel powered car. It’s does 0-60 around 6 seconds vs the 8.5 of the Lexus hybrid. But its not at all about the actual performance figure. It was the silent V8 like thrust accelerating to join the autobahn that inspired me to find out how fast it was claimed to be.

Is Lexus, the hybrid leader, falling behind? Not sure but not waiting around to find out.

 

Hence the popularity of EVs. The throttle response is so instant, all ICEs feel like dinosaurs.

 

There are seven competitors that have, or will have, turbo 6 cylinder powered mid range sedans. M340i, S4, C43, Q50 Red Sport, G70, CT5-V and TLX Type-S. The IS350 can no longer keep up and is in dire need of a full model change. It's fine if the IS-F doesn't come back right now, at least until they have their turbo V8 ready, but the mid range is where Lexus really needs to wake up.