The Latest Lexus Hybrid Is An Electric Carbon Fiber Bicycle

Lexus Hybrid Bicycle

The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle is a design concept from the automotive brand with an electric eight-speed transmission and lightweight carbon fibre construction.

Lexus Hybrid Bicycle

the press release from Lexus
Introducing the Lexus HB (Hybrid Bicycle) Concept

lexus carbon fiber bike

Lexus has established itself as an industry leader in bringing advanced technologies to the premium car market. Now it has applied the same thinking on a smaller scale to create the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle, a design concept the captures the fundamental engineering and design values of the brand, but with two wheels rather than four.

Lexus Hybrid Bicycle

In every aspect this is Lexus, from the L-finesse design language of the engaging and elegant frame, to the application of hybrid power, an electric eight-speed transmission and lightweight carbon fibre construction.

Lexus Hybrid Bicycle

hybrid bike

lexus bicycle width=

Lexus has brought what is one of the only two examples in existence (one black and one white) to the UK for the first time, following the bicycle’s debut at the 2009 Tokyo motor show (at that show, the concept bike was shown in black).


above: the Lexus HB Concept bike appeared in black at the 2009 Tokyo auto show

Its arrival coincides with the announcement of Lexus’s title sponsorship of the Great British Bike Ride, a four-day charity fun ride from September 1-4, 2010, that will see hundreds of cyclists following a course from Land’s End to the home of English rugby at Twickenham.

Lexus has pioneered high performance, low emissions and optimum fuel efficiency with its full hybrid Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain technology. The Hybrid Bicycle adopts similar principles, with the pedal power of the rider boosted by assistance to the front wheel from a 240W electric motor, via a 25.9V Lithium-ion battery, with a choice of Eco or Power modes. And, as with Lexus Hybrid Drive, there is an energy regeneration function that helps recharge the battery by capturing kinetic energy generated under braking.

lexus bicycle

The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle has all-wheel drive, by means of a belt system. It is equipped with an electric eight-speed Shimano internal gear system, which references the sophisticated eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission of Lexus’s LS 600h limousine.

lexus carbon fiber hybrid bike

lexus concept

The carbon fibre construction shares the same light-but-strong composite materials technology that was used on Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP-winning motorcycle.

Lexus Hybrid Bicycle Concept Specs:
Length (mm) 1,598
Width (mm) 425
Seat height (mm) 900
Wheelbase (mm) 1,080
Tyre size 20 x 1 3/8
Weight (kg) 17
Charge time Approx. 2hrs
Motor output (W) 240
Battery type Lithium-ion
Battery voltage 25.9V/4.0Ah
Gear system Shimano 8-speed internal gear
Shift lever Shimano dual control
Drive train Belt drive

The big bummer? There are no current plans for the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle to become a production model.

the white bike images are courtesy of Lexus and the black bike, courtesy of Gizmag