Honda designs car without steering wheel

Alot of people are speculating that this will be the DNA of the next Honda S2000....

By David Millward, Transport Editor, Geneva

Instead of the steering wheel, this car is controlled with the aid of two levers.
The EV-Steer is intended to give the motorist the same experience as somebody riding a motor bike, who uses the handlebars to turn.
Instead of turning the wheel, the driver pulls and pushes the levers according to the direction of travel.

"It's fun, it is very tactile and it is very accurate," a Honda spokesman insisted.
"The car keeps the driver alert, because it is very sensitive to movement. Your whole body is kept moving.
"In fact it is a mini-cross trainer," the spokesman added, without the slightest note of irony.
While the car may lack a steering wheel, it is not short of dashboards. In fact it has three.
The middle one would normally display the routine information such as speed.
Then on either side, just above each of the levers are two more dashboards, which can be configured according to the driverﾒs wishes.
One, for example, can be dedicated for the satellite navigation system, while the other could be used to control the audio system or car temperature.
The car. which has a top speed of just under 100 mph, has already been driven thousands of miles on a Japanese test track.
Fitted with an electric engine, the car can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge. Charging the battery takes around three hours.
A mid-range sports, Honda expects to go into full production of the EV-Steer within the next three years. and will have a price tag between £30,000 and £35,000.

Source;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/9126441/Honda-designs-car-without-steering-wheel.html

Honda's Earth Dreams Tech Making Fuel Efficiency a Reality

By Stephan Edlestein

New technology will give Honda what it needs to compete with its rivals, and will power everything from the Accord sedan to the NSX supercar.

At the Geneva Motor Show, Honda revealed details about its new, more fuel-efficient powertrains. These new engines, collectively known as Earth Dreams, will power most Honda vehicles in the near future, including the next NSX sports car. “We aim to be number one in fuel economy in each sector within three years,” said Honda’s European CEO, Manabu Nishimae. “Through Earth Dreams Technology, Honda will continue to minimize our environmental footprint.”

Like Ford’s EcoBoost and Mazda’s Skyactiv, Earth Dreams is a brand name for engines upgraded with new technology. Honda will add VTC (Variable Timing Control), direct injection, and will build conventional gasoline-powered cars with Atkinson-cycle engines, even though that setup is usually found in hybrids. Adding direct injection, which shoots a precise amount of fuel into the combustion chamber, is an important step if Honda wants to compete with Ford and Mazda, let alone Hyundai and Kia.

Honda will also improve its diesel range under the Earth Dreams banner, reducing its engines’ displacement and weight to cut emissions and improve fuel economy. Honda will also replace its mild-hybrid IMA (Integrated Motor Assist), with a new system that features lithium-ion batteries and plug-in capabilities. Because IMA only allows drivers to use electric power for brief periods, Honda’s hybrids have never been able to compete with the Toyota Prius on fuel economy. The new system should remedy that.

To put its engines’ green power to the road, Honda will rely more on Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT). Enthusiasts may not like the CVT’s eerily linear power delivery, but some kind of transmission upgrade was necessary. Honda offers a five-speed transmissions in the Accord, while most of the competition offers six.

The U.S. Will get its first Earth Dreams engine, a 2.4-liter inline-four, in the 2013 Accord. Europe will get a 1.6-liter diesel in the Civic. Honda says the diesel is the lightest of its kind and produces an extremely low 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Earth Dreams technology will also be incorporated into the new Honda/Acura NSX’s V6. That engine, combined with the NSX’s three electric motors, will provide “supercar acceleration and outstanding efficiency,” Honda says. The NSX will go on sale in Europe by 2015, badged as a Honda. There was no update on the car’s U.S. launch.

“The NSX is the ultimate top-line sports model,” Nishimae said, “could we develop a smaller one?” He noted the EV-STER, an electric roadster concept making its European debut at Geneva, as an example of how green powertrain technology could be applied to a small, fun-to-drive package. Such a car would make a great replacement for the S2000.

With Earth Dreams, Honda is making a concerted effort to upgrade its basic engines and transmissions, something it will need to do to remain competitive. By starting from the bottom, Honda hopes to see improvements across its entire lineup, everything from sedans to sports cars.

Source;
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/will-hondas-earth-dreams-engines-make-fuel-efficiency-more-than-a-dream/

We Hear: Honda EV-STER Concept to Be Built, with Gas Power?

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito told German auto magazine Auto Motor und Sport that the funky Honda EV-STER concept we showed you last month during the Tokyo Motor Show will go into production. The EC-STER was conceived as a modern-day Honda Beat and comes close to the size of that Japanese market Kei-car.

The concept comes in less than two inches wider than the Beat and the JDM Kei-car standard. The concept is powered by a 58kW (78 horsepower) lithium-ion motor and is said to hit 60km/h (just over 37 mph) in 5.0 seconds. Power is sent to the rear wheels. Honda says the electric-powered EV-STER would have a range of 100 miles and top speed of 100 mph.

But don’t fret if these numbers don’t impress. The Honda EV-STER is package-protected for a gasoline engine – behind the seats, making it a mid-engine, rear-drive replacement for the gone but not forgotten Honda S2000. Still no word on size or power level of the hypothetical internal combustion engine, but it would likely create more power and produce better times than the electric motor.

One show car feature that would not likely make production is the twin-lever steering. A conventional steering wheel would probably get the nod for the production car. No details whether either model will come stateside. We are crossing our fingers for the gas-powered version with at least 200 horsepower – maybe from the rumored 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder.

Source;
http://wot.motortrend.com/we-hear-honda-ev-ster-concept-to-be-built-with-gas-power-147349.html

Honda EV-STER headed for production - report

The Honda EV-STER concept was one of the stars at the Tokyo Motor Show and now it appears destined for production.

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito said the roadster could be offered with electric and petrol powertrains. Additional information is limited, but the magazine speculates the vehicle could be launched as early as 2012.

As we have previously reported, the EV-STER could accelerate from 0-60 km/h (0-37 mph) in 5.0 seconds and travel approximately 160 km (99 miles) on a single charge.

Source;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/111121439030/honda-ev-ster-headed-for-production---report

Honda Exhibits World Premiere of EV-STER the next-generation electric small sports concept

TOKYO, Japan, November 30, 2011 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will exhibit the world premiere of the EV-STER, the next-generation electric small sports concept model, at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011, which will take place at Tokyo Big Sight from Saturday, December 3 through Sunday, December 11, 2011.

Featuring a dynamic and innovative styling design and excellent environmental performance, the EV-STER, an electric rear-wheel-drive two-seater convertible sports car, will propose a new way to enjoy a sports type model which is unique to the electromotive mobility. The adoption of carbon materials made it possible to reduce the vehicle weight contributing to the vehicle's high driving performance and range of approximately 160km. The easy-to-operate twin-lever steering was adopted for the thorough pursuit of the joy of driving. Moreover, the new concept model enables the driver to make his/her own adjustments to some vehicle characteristics such as motor output and suspension settings, to embody the joy of maneuvering to the fullest extent.

Furthermore, the instrument panel features not only meters, but also the vehicle information display which enables the driver to enjoy driving as well as the network display used for the audio and navigation systems and also for the internet access. The well-designed layout of the meters and displays enables the driver to concentrate on driving and enjoy the comfortable space.

Honda remains committed to developing sports models beyond the expectations of its customers and offering exciting and thrilling mobility products.

Key specifications of the EV-STER

Vehicle length 3,570mm

Vehicle width 1,500mm

Vehicle height 1,100mm

Wheelbase 2,325mm

Maximum speed 160km/h

Acceleration (0-60km/h) 5.0 sec

Maximum range Approximately 160km (JC08 mode)

Battery 10kWh lithium-ion battery

Maximum battery output 58kW

Charging time

200V: under 3 hours

100V: under 6 hours

Source;

http://www.hondanews.info/news/en/auto/4111130eng

The 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011 Speech of Takanobu Ito President and Chief Executive Officer

Honda captured the "triple crown" that is the Contractor, Rider and Team Championships in this year's MotoGP. I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the support and enthusiasm of Honda fans around the world.Motorsports is at the origin of Honda and is part of our DNA. After watching the MotoGP races all year, I wanted to experience for myself the overwhelming acceleration of the actual MotoGP machine which took our riders to the podium. So I went to test ride it, and I felt so thrilled and excited by the riding performance of this machine.

Since its establishment, Honda has been committed to the development of personal mobility products which realize the joy and freedom of mobility. What we mean by the joy of mobility obviously includes the joy of operating the vehicle on our own. But it also includes the joy of discovering all kinds of new dreams and inspiring experiences and getting excited by new thrills that can be realized only through personal mobility.
On the other hand, in order to realize a "sustainable society where people can enjoy life", the reduction of CO2 emissions will be one of the most important challenges. In order for Honda to continue delivering environmentally-responsible, exciting and thrilling products, ever since I was appointed as the president of the company I have been prompting systems and capabilities which enable us to develop "edgy products" just like pushpins. By edgy products I mean products which have environmental and safety performance as the solid base, but also a sharp point that creates a distinctive "edge".

Today, I will introduce some models that symbolize this direction which were realized with our electromotive technologies. First, is an EV version of a super sports bike, the RC-E. RC-E was designed after the image of Honda's classic racing machine, the RC series, pursuing the joy of riding.
Next, we are exhibiting the world premiere of our small sports EV Concept model, the EV-STER. The EV-STER is a completely new next-generation EV sports model Honda is proposing. With this model, we embodied the joy of driving to the maximum extent. Starting from here at the Tokyo Motor Show, we will sequentially introduce multiple new models including a high-performance sports model which is currently under development toward market introduction in the near future.

As for EVs, we are currently conducting demonstration testing with the Fit EV in Japan, the U.S. and China. The Fit EV is scheduled to go on sale in Japan and the U.S. in summer of 2012. With the Fit EV, we achieved the world's top-class, most highly efficient electricity consumption rate. Further, while it is an EV, you can still experience sporty acceleration unique to Honda.
Now, let me introduce Honda's unique concept models of motorcycle and automobile electric mobility.
The MICRO COMMUTER CONCEPT, a four-wheel EV commuter, and the MOTOR COMPO, a two-wheel EV commuter, were created for mobility in a metropolitan area. These models are developed with new ideas and through collaboration between our motorcycle and automobile R&D centers.Honda will continue proposing the potential of a wide range of electromotive mobility products including the AC-X mid-to-long range plug-in hybrid and the FCX Clarity electric fuel cell vehicle.

In addition to the development of electromotive mobility products, Honda also has been focusing on the creation of clean energy using a solar photovoltaic system and a cogeneration system independently developed by Honda.
As of today, Honda is the industry leader in installing solar power generation systems to our factories and offices in Japan. Next year, we will be installing a mega solar power generation system to our Yorii Plant, which will be the largest solar power system to be installed to an automobile production plant. Furthermore, we will accelerate our effort to install solar power systems to our dealership locations as well.Based on these initiatives we will strive to achieve the "Triple Zero" - which means "zero" CO2 emissions well-to-wheel (from the point of creating electricity until it is used to power the vehicle) through our own renewable energy technologies; "zero" energy risk through our energy management technologies; and "zero" waste through our effort to reduce, reuse and recycle, the 3Rs.
Under this "Triple Zero" concept, Honda will address climate change and energy/resource issues with our own technologies and business activities. With these efforts, Honda envisions a future with "zero environmental burden society".

For such a future, the most important challenge we need to address right now is the improvement of the efficiency of gasoline and diesel-powered internal combustion engines.Under the name "EARTH DREAMS TECHNOLOGY," Honda has created a new next-generation engine and transmission series, which we will apply to our products to realize both "fun" and "environmental" values at a high level.
This EARTH DREAMS TECHNOLOGY will be applied first to the N BOX, a new mini-vehicle model we are announcing today, and then we will gradually expand the applications. By combining it not only with gasoline engines, but also with diesel engines, and the new CVT series, we will strive to be number one in fuel economy in each category within the next 3 years.Accelerating these initiatives, Honda will set a goal to reduce future CO2 emissions from our motorcycles, automobiles and power products sold around the world by 30% compared to the level of the year 2000. And we will strive to attain this goal by the year 2020.

Now, I would like to talk about the mini-vehicle business in Japan.Honda originally entered the automobile business with mini-vehicles. We made a fundamental review of our origin, that is to say mini-vehicles, and will largely renew our product lineup. I would like you to have high expectations toward the N BOX and the N Concept Series. We put our huge passion into the small body of those vehicles.

Finally, I would like to introduce our all-new ASIMO humanoid robot which is now equipped with the world's first autonomous behavior control technologies.
With improved physical capability and autonomy, this all-new ASIMO was further advanced so that it can now continue moving without being controlled by an operator.
In addition to further improvement of the physical capability of its legs, we advanced the capability of ASIMO's fingers so that each finger now moves independently. These changes were made so that ASIMO can coexist with and be useful for people.
We are utilizing the technologies we have amassed through ASIMO and humanoid robotics research for our mobility products such as motorcycles and automobiles.
In addition, we will apply such technologies to other devices such as the task-performing robot arm which performs tasks in places where people cannot access and the walking-assist device which supports walking for people with weakened leg muscles. We will continue our R&D activities to put those technologies into practical use so that we can offer more technologies that are useful for people.

The motivation behind our ASIMO research and, the development of mobility products in the areas of motorcycles, automobiles and power products is our passion to create products that are useful to people and that utilize technologies to make people happy. That is Honda's philosophy as a manufacturing company which has remained unchanged since the establishment of the company.
Honda will remain true to its origin - manufacturing for people - and continue creating "edgy products" that move people's hearts, so please keep your expectations high!


Source;
http://www.hondanews.info/news/en/corporate/c111130aeng