Toyota hints at forthcoming performance hybrid

By / 11 years ago / International News / No Comments

The carmaker has used its Toyota Hybrid System-Racing (THS-R) for two Le Mans events. It uses a motor housed in the gearbox to recover and store energy during deceleration, which can be stored in a supercapacitor in the cabin and used to provide a power boost to the car’s petrol engine.

In the TS030, THS-R can generate up to 300bhp of boost automatically, while exiting corners for example, on top of the 530bhp produced by its 3.4-litre V8 petrol engine. Toyota has yet to reveal what sector the concept will be placed in, only saying it will be suitable for road and track use.

A production version would be likely to draw on knowledge gained through its partnership with BMW, which is aimed at co-developing sports cars, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell technology. The carmaker has stuck rigidly to its preference for hybrid drivetrains over diesels, and a high performance petrol-electric sports car would allow it to compete with Honda’s forthcoming NSX, due for a 2015 launch.

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Alex Grant

Trained on Cardiff University’s renowned Postgraduate Diploma in Motor Magazine Journalism, Alex is an award-winning motoring journalist with ten years’ experience across B2B and consumer titles. A life-long car enthusiast with a fascination for new technology and future drivetrains, he joined Fleet World in April 2011, contributing across the magazine and website portfolio and editing the EV Fleet World Website.

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