MILAN – Toyoharu Tanabe is the “racing man” of Honda, the technician in charge of developing the Formula 1 program that currently supplies the engines to the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri teams, and he, together with the dedicated management, wanted to talk about engines that are currently considered to be at the top of performance.
The research on these very particular electrified engines of around 1000 Hp has had and has important repercussions on the “applied science” of hybrid systems starting from the e: HEV system used in road cars. A deep connection, and in many ways secret, which transfers innovation and technologies between two apparently very different worlds.
“Red Bull’s victories and leadership in the drivers’ championship are the result of an efficient collaboration between our engineers and the Austrian team”, is the premise to underline the performance step forward achieved this year and which is not in contrast with the decision to cease the official presence of Honda at the end of the season. “It was a choice consistent with the global“ carbon free ”strategy that we want to carry out very quickly, it is not a renunciation; technically there is still a lot to learn about electrification and we will continue to work even more intensively in this direction ”.
The hybrid technology used in competitions essentially aims at the maximum in terms of performance and readiness in power delivery; in road cars the objective is instead aimed at efficiency and driveability, but common elements exist between the various objectives.
Starting with the diagram, which in both cases includes two electrical elements, one of which is connected to the wheels and the other to the heat engine; it is precisely the “game” between the contributions of these components and in particular the management of the energy stored in the batteries that determines the best result.
The e: HEV hybrid system developed by Honda and currently used on the HR-V belongs to the category of electrified “series” engines, ie with the electric motor directly connected to the wheels and responsible for almost all of the power used in running.
The purpose of this scheme is the possibility to provide the wheels with the readiness and elasticity of the electric motor and, at the same time, to operate the combustion engine in the conditions of maximum efficiency (which means lower consumption and less pollution) and to use it as an “engine” only when it is indispensable and convenient.
The transfer of technologies between the experiences in Formula 1 and the research in road hybrids is, in this regard, fundamental to manage all the components (heat engine, battery and electric motors-generators) in the best way and obtain the maximum in terms of efficiency and performance.
Honda, while considering the hybrid solution as “transitory” towards exclusively electric mobility, has announced that from 2022 it will produce exclusively electrified cars and that on the basis of the experiences accumulated also with Formula 1 it will continue to develop this technology alongside other alternatives. “It is impossible today to establish how long the life of the hybrid will be; there are many elements, such as regulations, infrastructures, differences between markets, which influence technical development; we also consider the plug-in solution with rechargeable batteries for larger models and hydrogen fuel cells. We proposed the first hybrid in 1999 and we will continue as long as necessary ”. Word of Honda.
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