How the Toyota FT-HS Works

The first thing that stands out about the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept is the car's design. It doesn't look like any other hybrid car currently on the road. The FT-HS was designed by Calty Design Research, which is Toyota's design studio located in Newport Beach, Calif. The company originally introduced the car at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., as nothing more than a few sketches and some 3-D images, but working models have since emerged and some reports suggest the concept could go into production soon.

The FT-HS (which stands for Future Toyota Hybrid Sport) has a sporty, triangular profile, one that's similar in spirit to the Toyota Supra, the company's earlier sports car that's no longer in production. Calty apparently modeled the streamlined design with the look of a downhill skier in mind, where several individual aerodynamic parts are emphasized over an overall sleek design. The area under the headlights, for instance, swoops inward more dramatically than is typical, and a ridge that rises along the hybrid's lower door edge extends upward near the rear wheels.

The hybrid is a 2+2, meaning that it's meant for a driver and a passenger but two more can squeeze in the back if necessary. The FT-HS is quite large, actually -- nearly as big as a Corvette, measuring 170.3 inches (432.6 centimeters) from front to back, 73.2 inches (186 centimeters) wide and 50.8 inches (129 centimeters) tall. With the intent of placing focus on the hybrid technology, Calty made part of the engine visible through a hole in the hood.

Calty calls the interior of the FT-HS the "Solo Space," emphasizing the driver's importance and highlighting the driver's seat as a sort of cockpit. Much of the design suggests lightweight material; the seats consist simply of thin pads and the wheels (made of carbon fiber) are also lightweight to encourage a sporty, Formula 1 feel. The roof might also end up being retractable, sliding back to cover the backseat area, making it just a two-seat car.

As surprising as the design of the FT-HS is, especially in terms of hybrid cars, the main draw to the concept is its high performance. While the gas engine inside 2010 Prius, for instance, produces only 98 horsepower, the projected power inside the FT-HS would come from a 400-horsepower hybrid powertrain, a significant upgrade. A 3.5-liter V-6 engine would fuel the car, which is apparently similar to the DOHC (dual overhead camshaft) 3.5-liter V-6 from the Lexus GS 450h.

The electric motor in the FT-HS would also provide more power than most people expect in a hybrid. Engineers expect to use a water-cooled, 650-volt motor that can produce as much as 197-horsepower at peak output. The battery powering the electric motor could be lithium-ion, which would weigh about half as much as the usual nickel-metal hydride batteries found in most hybrids today. The FT-HS will also use rear-wheel-drive, and the performance target for the vehicle's zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) time is 4 seconds, which is less than half the time it takes for the typical hybrid car to accelerate to highway speeds.

Although Toyota originally announced in 2007 that the FT-HS would be ready for production by 2009, the company has yet to make further announcements concerning its development. In fact, fluctuating fuel prices and a poor economy in 2009 may have led to the demise of the FT-HS, according to Automotive News [source: Abuelsamid]. On top of that, there are many technical challenges in developing a hybrid sports car that are difficult to gauge because of so little information between the introduction of the FT-HS and now. If something does emerge, however, a sporty, mid-range hybrid car might be a good introduction for drivers who are unsure of the technology's performance issues. And if it does bring this car to market, Toyota hopes to sell the FT-HS somewhere in the middle $30,000 range.

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