{"id":45185,"date":"2011-12-08T15:05:49","date_gmt":"2011-12-08T20:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=45185"},"modified":"2011-12-08T15:05:49","modified_gmt":"2011-12-08T20:05:49","slug":"revolution-on-wheels-hondas-new-hybrid-sh-awd-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2011\/12\/revolution-on-wheels-hondas-new-hybrid-sh-awd-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolution on Wheels: Honda\u2019s New Hybrid SH-AWD System"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Honda is coming up with a 3-motor hybrid version of its SH-AWD system<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s been a tough year for Honda: earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, production shortages.\u00a0 And bad reviews.\u00a0 The maker has taken a series of dings from the likes of Consumer Reports, no less, which panned its latest Civic model.\u00a0 In some ways, that\u2019s worse than the sharp downturn in Honda earnings in recent months.<\/p>\n

TheDetroitBureau.com spent the better part of a week with mid-level and senior executives, all the way up to President and CEO Takanobu Ito to get an inside look at the company\u2019s turnaround plans \u2013 which include a rapid fix of the much-maligned new Honda Civic.\u00a0 But much of the effort revolves around a dramatic transformation of the Honda powertrain line-up. This is, after all, a company that likes to say it\u2019s in the business of building engines, first and foremost.<\/p>\n

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News You Can Use!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new line-up includes both advanced gasoline and alternative propulsion systems \u2013 one of the most intriguing being a gas-electric version of Honda\u2019s innovative Super Handling-All-Wheel-Drive system, or SH-AWD, a 3-motor system that we had a chance to take for the proverbial spin on the Twin-Ring Motegi race track a few hours outside Tokyo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The new system will take the concept of "torque vectoring" to a new level.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It will serve as a supplement \u2013 and perhaps, eventually a replacement \u2013 for the purely mechanical SH-AWD system now in use in the Acura RL, TL and MDX models.\u00a0 We also heard hints that an even more high-performance version might be in the works for a sports car application \u2013 perhaps something we might be seeing, if rumors prove true, at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to become number one in all categories of fuel economy within three years,\u201d proclaimed Toshihiko Nonaka, head of automotive R&D, as we arrived at Motegi.\u00a0 CEO Ito would repeat that claim a few days later at he unveiled the maker\u2019s new powertrain line-up at the Tokyo Motor Show under the typically Japanese banner of \u201cEarth Dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

No fantasy this, the SH-AWD hybrid is arguably the anchor of the new powertrain line-up, the system making use of the maker\u2019s new direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6.\u00a0 Yes, Honda has finally relented and accepted the idea that direct injection is a must if it\u2019s to remain competitive on performance and mileage, so you\u2019ll be seeing lots of little DI engines running around, as we\u2019ll get to shortly.<\/p>\n

In the prototype we drove at Motegi, the V-6 was tuned to deliver 310 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque \u2013 or 39 hp and 11 lb-ft more than the current, port-injected Honda Accord V-6.\u00a0 The engine primarily serves as a generator, much the way the smaller inline-four engine works in the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle.<\/p>\n

As we noted, this is an unusual 3-motor hybrid design.\u00a0 The first is mated directly to the V-6 and turns out another 40 hp and 96 lb-ft. directed to the front wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.\u00a0 There are two more motors in back, where the differential would normally sit, one for each rear wheel, making 27-hp and 52 lb-ft each.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This diagram shows how the Electric SH-AWD system operates, directing torque from its V-6 gas engines and three separate electric motors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The layout is what has come to be known as a through-the-road hybrid, as there is no direct mechanical link between the front and rear axles.\u00a0 There\u2019s also no direct link between the two rear wheels, each powered independently by one of the 27-hp motors.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the breakthrough.<\/p>\n

Honda\u2019s SH-AWD is a torque vectoring system.\u00a0 In other words, it applies more power to the outer wheel during a turn to help steer the vehicle around the corner.\u00a0 The current system has to use all sorts of mechanical steps, such as brake intervention, to achieve that effect.<\/p>\n

With the hybrid system, or Electric SH-AWD, the car\u2019s computer brain simply applies more power to the outer wheel. It reduces power to the inner rear wheel, which can actually help regenerate electricity sent back to the vehicle\u2019s lithium-ion battery pack.<\/p>\n

On paper, it\u2019s a brilliantly simple idea.\u00a0 But we wanted to see for ourselves and took a spin in a modified Accord around the Motegi track.\u00a0 The system made itself known almost instantly on the tight road course Honda engineers had laid out.\u00a0 Charging into the first corner we almost oversteered, not anticipating the helping hand of the SH-AWD system.\u00a0 But the design proved surprisingly intuitive and we quickly grasped what it was doing as we zigged-and-zagged through a slalom run, charging into the final corner before returning to pit lane.<\/p>\n

Our short run in the car made it difficult to see if the system lives up to the promise made by Yoshihiro Arai, managing director of Honda\u2019s R&D center that it \u201cachieves equivalent of V-8 performance with better than I-4 fuel economy,\u201d but it is clear that Honda is onto something.\u00a0 The standard SH-AWD system is one of our favorites in the expanding all-wheel-drive universe.\u00a0 If it can really deliver serious performance while actually enhancing mileage it could be the hands-down winner.<\/p>\n

The new Electric SH-AWD system can operate in pure electric mode until about 25 mph before the V-6 kicks in.\u00a0 The vectoring feature will operate at speeds up to about 75 mph, according to Honda engineers.<\/p>\n

Honda officials stressed that the numbers we saw are still in flux and likely won\u2019t be finalized until the technology actually goes into production, likely starting with the next-gen Acura RL and MDX flagships. \u00a0And, as we anticipate, there could be other variants of the system under development for even more sporty applications.<\/p>\n

The technology will likely be limited to the Acura side of the Honda empire, but there\u2019ll be plenty more new powertrain technology for both the Honda and Acura brands, as we saw during our week with Honda.<\/p>\n

Actually, we got a first hint of what\u2019s to come at last month\u2019s L.A. Auto Show, with the launch of the Honda Fit EV, its first pure battery-electric vehicle.\u00a0 But in a Tokyo media roundtable, CEO Ito stressed that he remains skeptical of the market for BEVs and plug-ins, insisting, \u201cI think hybrids will be the largest\u201d sellers among green vehicles for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, count on more hybrids and advanced gasoline models from Honda.\u00a0 On the gas-electric side you\u2019ll start to see a move away from \u201cmild\u201d hybrids, such as the system in the current Insight and CR-Z models, in favor of full hybrid drive systems capable of running at least short distances on battery power alone.<\/p>\n

At Motegi, Honda also gave a brief look at some of its other advanced powertrain systems, which will continue to explore opportunities for both hydrogen and natural gas.\u00a0 And diesel, the maker revealing a new 1.6-liter oil burner it says can outperform the current Honda 2.2-liter diesel while also delivering significantly better mileage.\u00a0 It\u2019s a definite for Europe and, in a sharp shift, Honda now intends to test the Japanese market\u2019s interest in diesels.\u00a0 Could a U.S. version be in the offing?\u00a0 Possibly, so stay tuned.<\/p>\n

Also expect to see a variety of new direct-injection gasoline engines from the number three Japanese automaker.\u00a0 These range from a 1.5-liter I-4 for the likes of the Fit, up to 2.4-liter four that we\u2019ll be seeing in the next-generation Honda Accord.\u00a0 Look for the production version to deliver near-V-6 power, with a minimum 181 hp, but notably better mileage.<\/p>\n

Honda will also adopt an intriguing \u201ctwo-mode\u201d approach to the engines used in future hybrids.\u00a0 They will be able to switch between the conventional Otto and more fuel-efficient Atkinson cycles depending upon power demands.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Honda will be introducing three separate CVT transmissions for its new powertrain line-up.\u00a0 The good news is that we found them to suffer from far less of the \u201crubber band\u201d effect experienced with most of today\u2019s continuously variable transmissions.<\/p>\n

With new mileage standards going into effect around the world \u2013 and with the competition rapidly getting tougher \u2013 Honda clearly had to get back to its roots and show it can lead in the powertrain department. Our time at the Twin-Ring Motegi was too brief to be sure Honda met all its goals but the experience suggests it\u2019s on the right track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Honda often bills itself as an engine company that also produces cars. Admittedly falling a bit behind, Honda has provided a sneak peak at a wide range of new high-tech gas, hybrid and alternative powertrain technologies – and given TheDetroitBureau.com the opportunity to drive what could be a breakthrough hybrid version of its already impressive Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45185"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=45185"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=45185"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=45185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}