Toyota’s luxury vehicle division, Lexus, has introduced the newest concept car – the FC LC, also known as the Fuel Cell Luxury Car. This four door coupe is designed as a cross-over between luxury and sports cars and was recently presented at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan.
The FC-LC pushes the limits of style, unlike any other vehicle Lexus has ever designed. The car has angles that wrap the driver-focused interior in style. The sporty vehicle has daytime running lights with a L-shape. The fog lights have a dot-matrix pattern which provides a sense of movement. The lines on the vehicle suggest direction and motion as well. The designers enhanced driver visibility by building a Greenhouse design which also adds to the sleek lines of the vehicle.
This concept car generates power through the hydrogen fuel cells by having an upfront electric motor mounted inside each wheel. The stack is sturdier due to the T-shape design of the hydrogen tanks and the fuel cell stack mounting being at the back of the vehicle provide optimal weight distribution.
The wheels are 21-inch diameter powerhouses that consist of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. Made to be strong, as it is used in motorcycles, sailing and even aerospace technology. The technology is also used in small amounts in items such as fishing rods, laptop computers and even drum shells.
The driver sits in an interior that features aniline leather which is dyed in such a way that resulting product shows the hides natural surface, flaws and all. The gesture control system, with a pop-up keyboard, includes climate, navigation and audio system control.
The vehicle has autonomous driving characteristics of the vehicle include road judgement, predictions on route, communication and function. The autonomous car is not a new idea, and is sometimes referred to as the self-driving or robotic car. These cars are capable of sensing and performing the basic driving capabilities. The very first truly autonomous cars were dated back to the 1980’s, thanks to Carnegie Mellon University and its cutting edge robotics research.
It is important to understand how the hydrogen fuel cell works and why it is so important to our environment. Oxygen is brought in from outside the engine and mixed with the ionized hydrogen molecules. This is a very simple description of what can be a little technical, so I have provided the link above to help you understand this process. Simply put, the final product is released as water from the cell making this product very environmentally friendly and proven to work.
This is truly a vehicle for a younger, healthier and even greener generation looking for save the earth.
