Japan-based THK, a tech company specialising primarily in component development and manufacturing for the engineering and automation industry, revealed a fully functional EV prototype at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show. Called the LSR-05, the EV was created to highlight a range of technologies developed by THK for application across the global automotive industry. The company has no intentions of putting it into production.
It was designed in partnership with SN Design Platform (SNDP) by the company’s President and globally renowned designer, Shiro Nakamura. Before being at SNDP, Nakamura served as Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Nissan (1999-2017) and Global Design Director of Isuzu Design Centre (1997-1999). He also worked at GM Design in Michigan from 1985-1986.
The ‘LSR’ in the four-seater crossover coupe’s name stands for the fusion of ‘Luxury, Sport and Revolution’, and the ‘05’ signifies the twin milestones of THK’s 50th anniversary and the fifth generation of the vehicle since its inception.
The LSR-05’s 800V platform features a sophisticated four-wheel steering system by integrating two THK original 93kW variable-flux in-wheel electric motors at the rear and a 220kW electric motor at the front. The platform integrates several key THK technologies such as Active Level Control Suspension (ALCS), MR Fluid Active Damper Tubes (MRDT), Electric Service Brake (ESB), Variable Magnetic Flux In-Wheel Motor (enemo), and Contactless Power Supply (CLPS) for wireless charging.
The ALCS enables vehicle height adjustments and stability control inputs based on road surface conditions, and the MRDT offers seismic isolation technology with a line-up of rotary dampers that utilise ball screws and a viscous element that absorb and dampen vehicle inputs. In essence, the damping can be controlled electronically. The ESB system controls the brakes on all four wheels independently, and the innovative in-wheel motors can drive the left and right wheels independently of each other. The CLPS offers a dynamic wireless power transfer via a power transmitter embedded in the ground and a power receiver installed in the vehicle.
Inside the LSR-05, a Stealth Seat-Slide System (SLES) features an LM Guide installed on the inside of the seat and a connector on the floor. The system offers easy installation even in a compact area.
THK: A background
THK is a Japanese company headquartered in Tokyo that manufactures machine elements and modules in the fields of mechanical engineering, robotics, and automation. In 1972, it became the first company in the world to develop a method of linear motion with rolling contact. Since then, it began manufacturing and selling linear guides or rail guides under the LM Guide brand.