Lexus Environment & Technology

Lexus' tireless environmental efforts have grown out of a genuine respect and concern for the environment. Our concerns range from the gathering and transporting of raw materials to the processing and assembly of vehicle parts, and from the processes at our dealer locations to the handling of materials at the end of a vehicle's life.

Designed With Concern

The focus of Lexus design efficiency is to build a vehicle that is exceptionally lean in its use of raw materials, its fuel and its impact on the environment - all while pushing the boundaries of performance, luxury and quality.

The design of lighter-weight vehicles helps to conserve natural resources, reduce fuel consumption, emissions and brake wear, improves handling and braking performance, and results in less scrap for recycling and disposal. Lexus works to reduce weight without weakening the vehicle or sacrificing luxury or safety features through sophisticated computer modeling that allows excess material to be engineered out. Extensive testing validates the strength and durability of each component before it goes into production.

Lexus pushes the frontiers of vehicle aerodynamic efficiency using wind-tunnel-tuned, computer-modeled details to reduce aerodynamic drag. Engine and driveline sounds are analyzed and tuned extensively, and airflow is investigated in the wind tunnel and on the road.

Lexus innovations ensure that our vehicles deliver maximum power from the minimum amount of fuel, with remarkably low exhaust emissions. As a result of sophisticated engine -management controls, the RX, HS and CT hybrid models are among the most fuel efficient on the road and every 2011 Lexus model has met Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV II) or the more stringent Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV II) EPA certification standards.

Cleaner Manufacturing and Distribution

Lexus has also made great strides in the development of materials: Seat cushions made with foam derived from castor seeds. Speakers manufactured with sustainable bamboo. Carpeting composed of 30% plant-based sources. These are just a few of the innovative processes used in the creation of recent Lexus vehicles. Lexus also offers an innovative seating material called NuLuxe. It weighs half as much as leather, and its manufacturing process generates 65% fewer CO2 emissions than other synthetic leathers and no VOCs [1].

Additionally, every Lexus manufacturing site has achieved Zero Landfill Status, meaning that any waste resulting from manufacture is recycled, repurposed or used to generate additional energy. In-plant water use and scrap material generation have also been cut dramatically at Lexus plants, and improvements in plant energy efficiency help to reduce the greenhouse gases that are a by-product of power generation. All eight plants that build Lexus vehicles are ISO 14001-certified, having received certification to an international standard for environmental management systems.

Lexus dealers are a part of this effort. The Lexus Environmental Assistance Network equips all dealers with a customized web site that provides up-to-date waste-management information. Dealers return numerous components for precision factory remanufacture and ultimate sale as rebuilt parts.

On The Road And Beyond

Lexus is improving recycling technology with facilities such as the Automobile Shredder Residue Recycling plant that recovers and repurposes as much urethane foam, fiber, copper, glass and plastics as possible. For example, sound insulation found throughout Lexus vehicles is largely composed of the leftover bits and trimmings that remain after the manufacture of seat cushions, floor mats [2] and roof liners. These efforts, combined with advanced dismantling methods and recycling technologies have already begun to yield impressive results: more than 85% of the HS and CT can ultimately be recycled [3].

 

Courtesy of Lexus.com