The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer is an 800 horsepower test for the future of IndyCar
While the body shares some components with Honda’s popular crossover, an IndyCar-sourced twin-turbo V-6 and supercapacitor hybrid live amidships.
The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer previews the hybrid powertrain that will arrive for the 2024 IndyCar season.
The IndyCar twin-turbo V6 is used in conjunction with an electric motor and high power – components already seen in the Lamborghini Sián – to combine to produce 800 hp.
The CR-V Hybrid Racer will make its debut in St. Petersburg Grand Prix this weekend before hitting other tracks on the 2023 IndyCar calendar.
Honda is an engineering company at its core, as it likes to remind us in the media of various products ranging from cars to outboard motors to airplanes.
The automaker also has a long history in motorsport and now offers five engines to the IndyCar team, which will provide hybrid power units for the 2024 season. To prepare for the electrification of IndyCar,
Honda has left its engineering power CR-V Hybrid Racer, which Honda describes as a “revolving laboratory”. Provides a “quick preview” of the next season of IndyCar racing.
The CR-V Hybrid Racer may look like the regular CR-V, Honda’s most popular vehicle, but in the family car category is a tube-frame chassis and twin-turbocharged 2.2-liter V6. of Indy-car father.
The V-6 runs on 100% race fuel developed by Shell for the 2023 IndyCar season, which is made up of ethanol from sugar cane waste and other fuels.
The engine is mated to a six-speed Xtrac gearbox and a unique hybrid system with an electric motor developed by Empel and high power from Skeleton Technologies.
Although supercapacitors cannot store large amounts of energy for as long as normal batteries, they are efficient and can consume large amounts of energy quickly, making them ideal for high-performance vehicles. The only production car to use the supercapacitor is the 2021 limited edition Lamborghini Sián.
During a press conference, Honda Performance Development president and technical director David Salters said that the system produces about 800 horsepower.
Salters also explained that the company is focused on exploring new technologies and pointed out that real supercapacitors are a smart choice for storing large amounts of energy.
The system can be used in many ways, including increasing “passing speed”, braking regeneration, filling the engine with gas during take-off and moving, and improving driving dynamics by reducing turbo response.
The CR-V Hybrid Racer’s rear suspension and brakes are adapted from a Dallar build, while the front suspension and brakes are borrowed from the Acura NSX GT-3 Evo22. The powerful SUV concept comes with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 summer tires measuring 285/35 at the front and 305/35 at the back, which are wrapped around 20-inch wheels.
Honda says that the CR-V Hybrid Racer’s striking appearance was inspired by the B rally cars of the 1980s, and although the windshield and windshield are standard CR-V parts, the body underneath, which includes large fender flares, is traditionally made of carbon.
string. The car is very aerodynamic, with a large rear spoiler, a defined front spoiler, and sporty side skirts. A half-height gullwing door provides access to the sunken interior.