Lexus UX 300e: the first BEV from Toyota Group
At the Guangzhou Motor Show, Lexus presented its first battery-electric production vehicle. It is a BEV version of the SUV model Lexus UX with somewhat disappointing data.
The Lexus UX 300e has an output of 150 kW and a battery capacity of 54.3 kWh. Lexus cites a range of up to 400 kilometres, but this is still based on the outdated NEDC cycle – in WLTP or even everyday life, the range will be significantly shorter. Even the maximum charging power of 6.6 kW (AC) or 50 kW (DC) does not correspond to what one would expect from a 2020 BEV of a self-declared premium brand. The battery should have a temperature management system that works at low and high ambient temperatures. This sounds more like liquid cooling than air cooling but has not been specified.
The design of the UX has hardly changed from the hybrid and combustion versions. The large radiator grille in the typical Lexus design also remains very present in the electric car. Toyota has not gone into this in detail in the press release, but on the photos, you can see that the UX 300e has two charging ports – each above the rear wheel. This is the Chinese GB/T standard above the left rear wheel and Type 1 on the opposite side. Toyota has not yet said what this will look like in the European version.
The Lexus press release insists that the engineers have “used e-drive to further improve the driving dynamics of the vehicle on the road, based on the sophisticated driving characteristics of the UX”. At the same time, the UX 300e is said to have one of the quietest interiors in its class.
The UX 300e is scheduled to be launched in China and selected European countries in 2020, and in Japan in early 2021, although Lexus has not yet made mention of prices. For reference, the UX is available in Germany from 33,950 euros for the petrol model, while the hybrid costs at least 35,900 euros.
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