Honda Readies New Powertrain Technologies

Honda Motor Co. this week announced plans today to introduce a variety of new powertrain technologies over the next five years.

The rollout will include a new 1.0-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder gasoline engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and homogeneous-lean-charge-spark-ignition (HLCSI) engine along with a variety of next-generation plug-in hybrid, all-electric and fuel cell systems.

The new 1.0-liter turbo is due to bow in 2017 in the Euro-spec Civic hatchback. The all-aluminum mill, which will make 127 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque, will replace the Civic’s normally aspirated 1.8-liter 4-banger.

Honda says the 10-speed planetary transmission, which it describes as a world first, is about the same size as the 6-speed automatics it will replace in large front-wheel-drive vehicles in the “near future.” The gearbox is expected to boost fuel efficiency by more than 6% in vehicles powered by the company’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine, such as the Honda Odyssey minivan and Acura RLX luxury sedan. Other purported benefits include 30% faster shifts and a 14% improvement in acceleration.

The carmaker also is developing a new plug-in hybrid vehicle that will share a platform with Honda’s next-generation fuel cell model. Due in about three years, the plug-in hybrid will replace the current 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with a more efficient 1.8-liter unit. An improved lithium-ion battery will triple the all-electric driving range to more than 40 miles compared with the Accord plug-in hybrid Honda dropped last year.

The next-generation fuel cell sedan is expected in 2020. It will use technology that Honda is co-developing with General Motors Co. In the interim, Honda plans to launch a fuel cell car in 2018—replacing the limited-volume Clarity—that it will unveil this week at the Tokyo auto show.

Honda also is evaluating the potential for an all-wheel-drive electric sports car with torque vectoring at all four corners. The company tested the concept in a modified version of its compact CR-Z hybrid hatchback, which finished 11th at this year's Pikes Peak mountain-climb race in Colorado. Company officials tell Autocar that the new EV, if approved, could hit showrooms by the end of the decade.

The carmaker also is targeting a 2020 debut for its HLCSI technology. The system can improve an engine’s thermal efficiency to 50% from less than 40% for today’s best combustion engines. Honda says low combustion temperatures minimize oxides of nitrogen emissions, which have been a problem for similar technologies.