Toyota FT-Bh Concept – the hybrid car of tomorrow

Toyota FT-Bh, a hybrid concept at the Geneva Motor Show that gets 134.5 mpg. They can't all be winners. A decade after the Prius first arrived, no other automaker has managed to produce hybrid vehicles in volumes approaching Toyota -- a tribute to the company's head-start in technology and business acumen. Some of that can been seen in the FT-Bh, conceived to show how to build a Toyota Yaris-sized hybrid for maximum efficiency without using exotic materials that would drive up prices. Weighing a scant 1,700 lbs., and sculpted for aerodynamics, the FT-Bh's power comes from a 1-liter, two-cylinder engine -- a smaller mill than what you find in large motorcycles.

 

Design
“Ecomotion” was the theme for styling FT-Bh, with its shape demonstrating a new approach to bodywork design. Key panels, such as the roof, are formed to represent the way fabric can be stretched taut between fastening points, to reflect their ultra-light weight.

Weight saving
The target for FT-Bh was a 25 per cent saving on the 1.0-litre Yaris’s 1,030kg kerb weight. Using a combination of high-tensile steel, aluminium and magnesium in the construction has trimmed the weight to just 786kg.

Powertrain
FT-Bh’s full hybrid drive system is a masterpiece of powertrain downsizing. With substantial weight savings in every driveline component, it is almost 90kg lighter than theHybrid Synergy Drivesystem used in today’s Prius.The lightweight, two-cylinder, 1.0-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine combines high efficiency with low thermal capacity and benefits with detailed measures to increase combustion efficiency and reduce friction. As a result, FT-Bh achieves an average fuel consumption of 134.5mpg and CO2 emissions of just 49g/km.The car’s light weight makes it agile and responsive to throttle and brakes, and thanks to its electric motor delivering maximum torque from standstill, it is nimble, too.

Thermal energy management and electricity saving
Further goals for FT-Bh were improvements in the recovery of thermal energy and a 50 per cent reduction in electricity consumption. The cabin uses thermally efficient components and the air conditioning focuses only on parts of the car where people are sitting.

The amount of electricity used by the LED headlamps, interior lighting and other electrical components has been drastically reduced, to the extent that power consumption is half that of conventional cars. The glazing has been designed for maximum thermal efficiency and even the matte paint has been chosen for its excellent heat insulation characteristics.

Source : Yahoo News