Lexus goes electric: Luxury automaker launches its 1st battery-powered crossover SUV

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- You've been able to buy a Lexus with hybrid power for many years. Now there's the first fully-electric Lexus model, the RZ 450e crossover SUV.

"Not just an electric vehicle. This is a battery-electric Lexus," said Greg Kitzens, general manager of Lexus product and consumer marketing.

The new battery-powered entry has a familiar Lexus look, plenty of luxury and tech, standard all-wheel drive, and EV attributes like quick acceleration and a very quiet driving experience. But then there's the key question: How far can it go on a charge?

"It's 220 miles with the 18" wheel. And if you get the optional 20" wheel on the Premium edition, or the Luxury edition comes with the 20" wheel, it's 196," Kitzens said.

That doesn't sound particularly impressive by today's standards, especially in this price range. Many of the new competitive premium electrics have a range of up to or over 300 miles. But Lexus offers its reasoning for the more modest range.

"Most people drive an average of 40 miles a day. Do you really need to carry around a 300 or 400 mile battery with you?" asked Kitzens.

And it's probably safe to assume that many if not most Lexus buyers park their cars in a garage overnight, where home charging is easiest. Lexus dealers will also provide owners of RZ 450s with courtesy gasoline vehicles for extended travel situations. Base prices for the new Lexus EV start at right around $60,000.

When this model was being planned, Lexus designers and engineers paid special attention to the interior. Not just in terms of luxury and technology, but in the use of eco-friendly materials.

"We've chosen to not have leather in it, not have wood in it," Kitzens said.

So in lieu of those usual trappings, there's artificial leather that Lexus calls NuLuxe, or Ultrasuede. And interior door panels that illuminate from the rear (called Shadow Illumination) for a luxury ambience without that wood and leather. For efficiency, optional radiant heat warms occupants with minimal power drain.

And there's a cool feature that'll be coming along eventually: steer-by-wire, with an airplane-style yoke instead of a typical steering wheel. It takes a bit of getting used to, but you can steer all the way left or right without turning the yoke much more than about 90 degrees, due to the progressive nature of how the yoke signals the steering rack connected to the front wheels.

"And it's going to grant some mobility back to those people who may have a mobility concern like an arm injury, and not have a full range of motion. Something they can't do anymore," noted Eli Nesbitt, who trains dealers and customers on new vehicles in a unit of the company called Lexus College.

And in the coming years, there will likely be more battery-powered Lexus models. They're not saying when or what kind of vehicles, but in the meantime the distinctive new RZ 450e is the brand's first move in the growing EV game.