Supercapacitors from Skeleton Technologies feature in the new Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer, a demonstration vehicle showcasing the capabilities of Honda Performance Development and Honda’s 2023 IndyCar hybrid power unit technology.
The race car now benefits from Skeleton’s supercapacitors, which deliver high-power performance. Supercapacitors are said to be the ideal technology to deliver braking energy recovery while enhancing boost acceleration, and Skeleton’s supercapacitors deliver a range of advantages, including a low internal resistance, a high cyclability and an excellent resistance to aging.
The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer also features Empel MGU hybrid motor technology and is capable of operating using Shell’s renewable race fuel which emits 60% fewer greenhouse gas emissions when combusted, compared to fossil-based petrol.
“We are very excited to collaborate with Skeleton Technologies on our Honda Performance Development CR-V Hybrid Racer project,” said Dr David Salters, president, Honda Performance Development.
“Their Supercapacitor modules provide an optimum cutting-edge solution for a high deployment power and high regen power hybrid system on our demonstrator hybrid racing car. The collaboration so far has been extremely fruitful, and we are working on an advanced Supercapacitor Energy Storage for the IndyCar Hybrid system.”
“Our collaboration with Honda Performance Development is not only interesting from an application perspective, but also because HPD’s fast paced and result driven way of work fits Skeleton’s culture perfectly,” explained Dr Sebastian Pohlmann, vice president of business development, Skeleton. “Integrating our high-power supercapacitor technology into the HPD CR-V Hybrid Racer clearly shows what supercapacitors can do in terms of high-power performance, and the joint work on the IndyCar Hybrid system additionally underlines that.”
By displaying the Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer at several IndyCar events, the OEM aims to create additional awareness around the Honda IndyCar hybrid powertrain which is coming in 2024.
Created by Honda Performance Development (HPD) engineers in California and designers from the North America Auto Design Division (NAAD) of American Honda, the CR-V Hybrid Racer was built at the Honda Automotive Development Center (ADC) in Ohio by the Honda of America Racing Team (HART).
For more information on the Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer, click here.