Technical Paper
Development of New Powertrain System for the Global Deployment of Hybrid Vehicles
2023-04-11
2023-01-0479
A new hybrid system has been developed to increase the permissible system weight and raise dynamic performance/system efficiency for the global rollout of Honda's electric vehicles. The powertrain consists of a 2.0L direct injection engine, a Front Drive Unit (FDU) with a built-in traction motor/generator and gear that directly transmit engine torque to the wheels (engine driving gear), a Power Control Unit (PCU) mounted on the FDU, and an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) mounted under the cargo area. The FDU has a higher RPM (+12%) and higher torque (+6%) traction motor for enhanced launch acceleration performance and maximum vehicle speed settings tailored to regional needs. In addition, a new engine driving gear for low-speed driving has been added to heighten system efficiency by avoiding traction motor driving in low-speed, high-load areas where electrical losses are high, and instead using a driving mode with an engine driving gear (ENGINE MODE).
