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2010 Lexus HS 250h is green to the core
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Water fountains at Lexus plant trap airborne particles
The 2010 Lexus HS 250h has all the elements one would expect from a hybrid luxury car including 35 mpg city/34 mpg hwy and a SULEV rating that claims 70 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than conventional vehicles. All sounds good. But, what actually goes in to creating a “green car”?
To start with, the Japanese plant where the hybrid units are produced in has an atmospheric pressure control system to minimize contamination. What this means is that they are fanatic about controlling particles or dust. For example, positioned throughout the plant are net curtains with water flowing down them, in essence a series of small water falls. Their function is to trap airborne particles that could contaminate delicate electronic parts. The workers have dubbed them "Niagara Falls."
It doesn’t stop there. When the hybrid units are finished they are put on a conveyer belt and sent through an airlock to the plants enclosed loading dock.
Beyond the hybrid unit, the Lexus HS 250h incorporates technology that reduces the vehicle’s footprint. For example, the windshield contains infrared reducing properties to help keep the interior cool and thus reduce the need for excessive air-conditioning; the LED lighting requires less power from the car and the ECO mode feature modulates accelerator use for better fuel economy. The interior upholstery also makes use of ‘ecological plastic’, a plant based material that is also used in a number of injection-molded foam and board components throughout the car, Overall, approximately 30 percent of the interior and trunk are covered in ecological plastic, resulting in a reduction of carbon emissions by approximately 20 percent over the estimated life of the vehicle.
"We are nothing if not obsessive," explains Wade Hoyt. Northeast PR Manager for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
Obsessive is a good quality when it concerns the environment.
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