Creature comforts, yes, but at what cost?

Hybrid targets drivers who want to save the planet without feeling deprived

Sep 19, 2009

So said the folks at Lexus of Canada this week as they unveiled the HS 250h, the line's new hybrid aimed at drivers entering the luxury market.

Having the cake? Well, that would be to own a spiffy, powerful car that's full of creature comforts and technical wizardry, and – as spins around Winnipeg and through flat farmland to Gimli revealed – fun to drive.

As for eating it, too, the company states that the car is environmentally friendly. This is the first Lexus designed from scratch to be a hybrid. Three previous models started with conventional internal combustion propulsion, then offered the supplemental electric motor and battery as an optional add-on.

The gasoline engine has just four cylinders. "Atkinson cycle" valve timing boosts efficiency. A membrane embedded in the windshield repels some of the sun's heat, reducing the need for air conditioning.

Many parts are constructed from plastics derived from plants rather than fossil fuels; others are recycled materials and, in turn, 95 per cent of the vehicle can be recycled.

Exhaust heat is recovered to reduce the amount of time the gasoline engine has to operate, decreasing fuel consumption, Lexus says, by 7.2 per cent. Electronic steering and gear shifting reduce weight and raise efficiency.

The result is a claim that the HS 250h burns a respectable 5.7 L/100 km of combined city and highway driving. Driving in "Eco" mode is said to improve that official number by 7 per cent. (Of course, switching to "Power" burns more gas.)

This car is also among the top green performers when it comes to emissions that cause smog and health problems.

The company's message is that the environment and luxury are not enemies. Those who can afford more than $40,000 can purchase a fairly sumptuous, high-performance driving machine while feeling sanguine about their impact on the planet.

They can be green without feeling deprived.

"New luxury consumers ... first and foremost want a luxury vehicle," says Stephen Beatty, managing director of Lexus in Canada. But "they also want to feel good about doing their part to minimize their environmental footprint. They have come to expect that the products and services they enjoy are backed by a commitment to sustainable living."

With about 1.5 million on the road worldwide and new models sprouting like organic mushrooms, hybrids are approaching commonplace.

Still, strong resistance remains, and who knows? Cake might trickle down. If the rich choose "green" cars they might help to nudge them, and later advances, further into the mainstream.

But when the last Lexus HS 250h hits the crusher, will it have made a difference?

The company has, admirably, embraced life cycle analysis, which tries to compute each model's total greenhouse gas emissions from the production of materials, through manufacture, transportation, use, maintenance and disposal.

It acknowledges more energy is consumed, and emissions created, to produce hybrids compared with conventional cars. But since driving creates 85 per cent of emissions, once on the road hybrids soon gain the advantage.

The HS 250h is, on average, 33 per cent better than conventional rivals, the company says. That's assuming it achieves the official 5.7 L/100 km and sustains it over 150,000 kilometres.

As some drivers at this week's test discovered, actual consumption is more like seven, partly, perhaps, because the Lexus seems to encourage a heavier foot on the accelerator than do smaller hybrids such as Toyota's Prius.

Cutting a car's lifetime emissions by 33 per cent or less, while praiseworthy, won't change the world.

Keep eating and the cake does run out.

Travel was provided to freelance writer Peter Gorrie by the automaker. pgorrie@sympatico.ca

Toronto Star