Hiroatsu Endo

Development of Toyota's transaxle for mini-van hybrid vehicles

Abstract In June 2001, Toyota Motor Corporation developed the Toyota Hybrid System-CVT (THS-C) for mini-vans. A new transaxle developed for the front drive unit of the THS-C system is compact, lightweight, and highly efficient. The unit achieves excellent driving comfort with smooth speed change by CVT control and provides high-level driving power control by wet multiple disc clutches.

Development of New Hybrid Transaxle for Compact-Class Vehicles

As the demand for so-called eco-cars has been increasing recently, new hybrid transaxle P610 has been developed to achieve outstanding fuel economy and an excellent driving performance. P610 was installed in the 4th generation Prius, the first car to implement TOYOTAs new development strategy, TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture). In order to accomplish the goal, radical reduction of mechanical loss, size and weight, dual-axle motor structure are adopted to draw out the potential capability of the THS (Toyota Hybrid System) to the maximum extent possible. Furthermore, placing the compact power train low, which is realized by installed the PCU(Power Control Unit) on top of the transaxle, led to provide the low center of gravity of the vehicle and excellent driving performance.