All-electric Honda NSX under consideration

All-electric Honda NSX under considerationThe next-gen NSX could use four electric motors that would be able to potentially carry from 0-100kph in 2.5secs.Honda is looking at bringing technology from its 1,014hp Pikes Peak race car, 4-Motor Acura EV Concept, to production in the form of a fully battery-powered next-generation NSX.The revelation that a potential all-electric NSX is under consideration was made by Sekino Yosuke, Honda's head of research and development, during a demonstration of the Acura EV concept. Given the acceleration figures of that car and the NSX’s famed handling prowess, the electric drivetrain would have the potential to give the NSX hypercar-beating levels of performance. Although, the competition car’s top speed is a relatively low 249kph and a production car would likely weigh more.

“The technology used on the Pikes Peak car could be interesting,” said Yosuke. “It's not just a competition car; I would like to make such a car in production, and there are some studies around that. We want our electric cars to be joyful to drive, and it is clear that this proposal, with around 1,014hp, is both joyful and uses technology that could one day reach production. We are evaluating what is possible now.”This means that the next-generation NSX could potentially use four electric motors to generate acceleration that would be able to carry from 0-100kph in 2.5secs and 0-200kph in 6.2secs, making it more potent than a Porsche 918 Spyder.The 4-Motor Acura EV Concept, which weighs 1.5 tonne, finished third overall in last year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb event in Colorado, USA. It has a modified version of the SH-AWD powertrain in the production Honda NSX. With an electric motor powering each wheel, the concept is claimed to be the “world’s first supercar with four-wheel independent torque allocation”.

As such, each wheel can accelerate or decelerate at any time, offering maximum grip and the potential for handling-improving torque vectoring.Although it's only required to run at full speed for around 32km at Pikes Peak, insiders say that it carries sufficient battery capacity to drive for 322km if driven at modest speeds. A production car is likely to require a broader range of talents, and the main barriers to a road car matching the competition car’s performance are said to be the weight (for safety), additional battery systems and the need for more cooling.However, the current NSX has only been on sale in international markets since last year, with Type R and convertible variants still in the pipeline. As such, an all-new NSX is unlikely to be launched before 2023, when battery technology is expected to have progressed significantly.