Toyota NS4 Plug-In Hybrid (Concept)

[ze_shark]

Toyota est plus discret sur les technologies de motorisation de sa NS4 que sur les technologies de sécurité actives. En combinant radars et une paire de caméras fonctionnant en stéréo, Toyota veut éviter des collisions avec des piétons ou des objets: avertissement du conducteur, freinage et manipulation de la direction !

Question style, je trouve plutôt élégant. C'est quand même nettement mieux qu'une Avensis.

[GVA-SFO]

Shark a écrit :

Question style, je trouve plutôt élégant. C'est quand même nettement mieux qu'une Avensis.

Oui, en effet, on dirait même une "Aven..tu dors ..gonflée" !
Ils ont changé de designer chez Toy ? ..car entre celle-ci et une Prius, à mes yeux, ils ont fait fait un grand saut.

[Corsugone]

Débauche de technologies, agréable à l'oeil et surtout facilement industrialisable coté carrosserie :

NS4 concept

Beyond the advanced plug-in powertrain and next-generation safety systems, the central theme of the NS4 concept is on the human connection to the car, said Jim Lentz, TMS president and chief operating officer, at the reveal.

We envision that by 2015, plug-in hybrid technology will have evolved significantly. Our goal is to develop a next-generation hybrid drive system smaller in size and lighter in weight, offering improved overall fuel economy, better acceleration, and longer all-electric range—all while maintaining a short charging time.

We see [the NS4] as a natural progression of automotive technologies by 2015. Our industry is changing very quickly. The automobile is being re-invented because its role in our lives is being re-defined. Customers want it to offer not just mobility from point A to B, but connectivity with all aspects of their lives. NS4 demonstrates Toyota’s take on the human connection to the car with technology that considers both emotional and rational relationships, person-to-car and car-to-society.
—Jim Lentz

Traditional vehicle development cycles average four years, but this is rapidly changing. Vehicles have become another communication hub in the connected-consumers lifestyle and automakers must integrate the latest technologies into their product offerings, TMS said. Connected vehicles are the third-fastest growing technological device, behind smartphones and tablets.

Toyota has formed special alliances with technology leaders such as Microsoft, Intel and Salesforce to explore the creation of seamless vehicle interfaces with emerging technologies.

Safety. The NS4 concept’s Human-Machine Interface (HMI) provides a user interface built around a multi-touch screen with the look and feel of a smartphone. The operation conveys information quickly while minimizing distractions and maximizing driver awareness. The multimedia and vehicle-controls enhancement also will direct air conditioning, audio, battery-charge and navigation functions. The HMI system is even capable of “learning” driver preferences and habits to anticipate driver responses in specific environments and situations.

The NS4 introduces a next generation Pre-Collision System (PCS) with lane departure, rear-end and pedestrian collision avoidance technologies designed to predict collisions under certain circumstances and help avoid them. This PCS uses millimeter-wave radar and stereo cameras mounted on the front of the vehicle to detect and react to lane departure, pedestrians and other vehicles. In addition, the system emits near-infrared beams to enhance PCS recognition at night. This driver assistance feature helps to avoid collisions with other vehicles, road-side obstructions, and pedestrians by applying the brakes and manipulating steering.

The current generation PCS, available in certain Lexus and Toyota vehicles, is designed to identify certain objects directly in the road ahead. If PCS determines that a collision is imminent, the brake assist system is placed in standby mode, a warning is displayed and a buzzer sounds. If PCS determines that a collision is unavoidable, the system still will alert the driver via a warning light, warning display and buzzer, apply the brakes and automatically retract the driver and front passenger seatbelts.

Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) headlights help prevent vision-impairing glare to oncoming drivers and pedestrians. Using a camera mounted behind the front grill and partial shielding inside the headlights, this feature allows drivers to maintain near-high beam illumination to improve nighttime visibility.

The pop-up hood structure automatically raises the rear of the hood to increase the space underneath, helping to reduce pedestrian head injuries caused by a collision with the front of the vehicle, within certain speed ranges. This innovation is the result of testing and verification using both conventional crash-test dummies and Toyota’s Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) virtual model.

Using sub-millimeter wave radar, the Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) is designed to detect a vehicle in the adjacent lane and visually alerts the driver using visual indicators placed in the upper dash.

Glass technology. Four new glass technologies are integrated into the windshield and front triangle, door, and rear windows to improve driver visibility, gas mileage and electric driving mode mileage efficiency:

Hydrophobic coating. Fluorine-coated glass causes rain drops to form into semispherical shapes for improved visibility and rain drop elimination (also used on the roof solar panel).

Anti-fog film. High-performance resin material with anti-fogging characteristics and increased durability.

High ultraviolet (UV) absorbing inner-layer. Removes 99% of harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Anti-solar film with radio-wave transparency. Reduces the internal vehicle temperature and improves electronic device functionality.

Inner and outer rear view mirrors have been replaced with cameras that provide the driver with a panoramic rearward view. The rearward image is displayed on a dedicated dashboard mounted screen above the navigation screen and provides a wider view than conventional rear view mirrors. The rearward panoramic camera view working in combination with the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) system enhances driving visibility.

[Pav]

On dirait qu'elle s'ennuie quand tu regardes la photo de 3/4 avant.