A new electric drive control system designed for their next-generation of battery electric and hybrid electric vehicles, DIRECT4 precisely controls the delivery of drive torque from front and rear electric motors, and braking force to all four wheels. 

By automatically adjusting the balance of front and rear-wheel drive, the system adapts the driving conditions to the driver’s intentions, changing the driving feel and giving the car the best driving posture. The system uses a front and rear e-axle, each featuring a high-torque electric motor and transaxle, focusing on optimum drive force distribution. As the motor is directly connected to the wheels by a single driveshaft, it operates without delay.

Its operation is intuitive and highly responsive, giving the driver a genuine sense of being fully connected with the vehicle. Moreover, it provides an ideal balance of predictability and excitement, with powerful, linear acceleration, and exhilarating cornering.

At the same time, the system is engineered for quietness and comfort, true to Lexus’ DNA.

In developing DIRECT4, Lexus has been able to draw on its unmatched experience in electrified vehicle technologies. This expertise supports the development of ‘Lexus Driving Signature’, a unique standard that will define the dynamic performance of Lexus’ next-generation vehicles. Lexus Driving Signature aims to provide drivers with a natural driving feel, a sense of unity with their vehicle, and the true comfort that comes from confidence, in a thoughtfully designed vehicle with the right balance of excitement and predictability.

Furthermore, Lexus Chief Designer Koichi Suga also explains how electrification technologies will impact vehicle design as well as performance; for example, EVs have no requirement for front cooling for an engine and radiator, This will present exciting new opportunities to express technological advances in the car’s three-dimensional form.