Lexus UX300e to come with 10-year battery guarantee
Lexus will be offering a ten-year warranty (or one million kilometres) on all traction battery functions on its first BEV model UX 300e. The Japanese company has also released further details about the battery and its air cooling.
The unusually long battery warranty on the UX300e is what Lexus calls a “measure of the brand’s confidence in its all-electric vehicle technology” in a press release. For the specified duration or mileage, Lexus guarantees that the capacity will not drop below 70 per cent during this period, provided that the owner respects the regular checks specified in the maintenance program. At the same time, the vehicle itself is only guaranteed for three years, while the remaining parts of the powertrain are guaranteed for five years or 100,000 kilometres.
The manufacturer is using air cooling for the UX 300e battery, saying that this is “safer and lighter than water-cooled systems”. Air cooling is supposed to give the battery pack stable battery performance even at a high speed with repeated rapid charging. The company says that the cabin air conditioning system works in combination this air-cooling in the battery to improve the vehicle’s performance, battery life and charging capacity.
The charging capacity itself is given as maximum of 50 kW with direct current and 6.6 kW with alternating current. In the past, Lexus has only ever mentioned that the battery should have “temperature management” without specifying the technology.
However, the “temperature management” in the UX300e goes beyond air cooling when cells are too warm. At low temperatures, heating elements placed under each battery module are designed to warm the battery and thus, according to Lexus, minimize the effects of cold weather conditions on the range of the electric car. The battery is equipped with rubber seals to protect it from water and dust.
The battery itself has a capacity of 54.3 kWh, while the whole battery pack consists of 18 modules, each of which contains 16 cells, making a total of 288 cells. 14 modules are mounted in the vehicle floor, and four more modules are located on the flat battery pack under the rear seat. This partially two-storey construction is not unusual and is intended to ensure space and functionality in the interior while optimising battery capacity.
The UX300e is powered by a 150 kW electric motor, which is located on the front axle in the classic engine compartment. A four-wheel-drive version with a second electric motor on the rear axle is apparently not planned. By the end of the year, Lexus plans to introduce the UX300e as the Toyota Group’s first BEV in Europe. Prices for Europe have not yet been released. If it is anything to go by, the fossil-fuelled version is available in Germany from 33,950 euros, while the hybrid costs at least 35,900 euros.
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