Putting aside what it looks like, what it will cost and how much HP it will have, what do others think about the "HYBRID" aspect of the NSX concept?
Personally I think it might be a huge mistake.
First, I do not think the Hybrid bits will be intended for improved fuel economy and instead will exist to primarily drive the SH-AWD. While this may be revolutionary in application and may well enhance cornering abilities and launch out of corners in track driving, I am not sure it is something that I truly desire.
Second, I am concerned about both additional weight and battery longevity in the application I have for my NSX as a Sunday driver that sometimes spends weeks at a time not being driven.
As for weight, hybrid batteries weigh from 100 to 1000 pounds depending how much power you are trying to get from them. Something like my Honda CRZ has about 100 pound of batteries able to supply a maximum of 13 HP for a very short amount of time at full power. On a drive up a steep hill, the batteries lose their charge and stop supplying power within 3 miles of sustained use even when asked for limited (not full) power. Something capable of providing any significant sustained acceleration power, like 100 HP, will have 250-500 pound of batteries and this much weight is inconsistent with the design phlosophy of the NSX.
As for longevity, batteries require regular controlled cycling to maintain their 7-10 year lifecycle. Many exotic cars spend lots of their lives sitting in the garage and not driving, this will not be good for the hybrid batteries unless they include some kind of plug in battery conditioner. And I certainly would not look forward to the expense of replacing the hybrid batteries every 7- 10 years.
I like the idea of regenerative braking. as it is very well implemented in my CRZ and I would expect that the NSX application would be even better and may really improve brake heat displacement. And I definitely can see where coupled with precise computer control, the ability to use both acceleration and braking effects on each wheel could revolutionize AWD implementation. But in the big picture I am not sure that I support Honda's pursuit of hybrid technology to make the new NSX unique.
Personally I think it might be a huge mistake.
First, I do not think the Hybrid bits will be intended for improved fuel economy and instead will exist to primarily drive the SH-AWD. While this may be revolutionary in application and may well enhance cornering abilities and launch out of corners in track driving, I am not sure it is something that I truly desire.
Second, I am concerned about both additional weight and battery longevity in the application I have for my NSX as a Sunday driver that sometimes spends weeks at a time not being driven.
As for weight, hybrid batteries weigh from 100 to 1000 pounds depending how much power you are trying to get from them. Something like my Honda CRZ has about 100 pound of batteries able to supply a maximum of 13 HP for a very short amount of time at full power. On a drive up a steep hill, the batteries lose their charge and stop supplying power within 3 miles of sustained use even when asked for limited (not full) power. Something capable of providing any significant sustained acceleration power, like 100 HP, will have 250-500 pound of batteries and this much weight is inconsistent with the design phlosophy of the NSX.
As for longevity, batteries require regular controlled cycling to maintain their 7-10 year lifecycle. Many exotic cars spend lots of their lives sitting in the garage and not driving, this will not be good for the hybrid batteries unless they include some kind of plug in battery conditioner. And I certainly would not look forward to the expense of replacing the hybrid batteries every 7- 10 years.
I like the idea of regenerative braking. as it is very well implemented in my CRZ and I would expect that the NSX application would be even better and may really improve brake heat displacement. And I definitely can see where coupled with precise computer control, the ability to use both acceleration and braking effects on each wheel could revolutionize AWD implementation. But in the big picture I am not sure that I support Honda's pursuit of hybrid technology to make the new NSX unique.