Honda's new Home Power Generation

The New Honda: Cars, Bikes and …. Home Power Generation

Posted by Stephen On Friday, July 15th, 2011

The idea of what they are calling “co-generation” doe not get as much publicity as the latest Honda bike or car launch, but on July 14th Honda’s Yamada made it clear that company leaders want to see electricity co-generation technology products become a third pillar for Honda’s business, on par with their car and bike retail divisions.

So the first thing you are probably wondering is, well, what on earth is this “co-generation” thing they are talking about anyway? Well, to put it in a nutshell, it refers to domestic electricity generation using a combination of a gas engine and solar panels. Interest has focused on this type of technology in the wake of the earthquake that left so many homes without power, as well as the on-going crisis at the Fukushima nuclear reactor and Prime Minister Kan’s recent call for a nuclear-free Japan. Analysts are expecting this market to boom.

Now, while it is true that Toyota also has other seemingly-unrelated businesses, such as home builder Toyota Home, within its corporate group, Toyota’s primary focus is quite clearly on producing automobiles. So for Honda to be considering such a radical change of corporate strategy as putting this new business on par with their automobile and bike businesses is a very bold move.

So why do it? From Honda’s point of view, this technology also neatly dovetails with their future plans for alternatively powered vehicles. After all, if fuel cells and batteries in EVs or plug-in hybrids require a power source. What better than if you could generate your own power at home for both your household appliances and your vehicles? And once a system is in place to sell power back to the grid, it will give businesses and private individuals a way of participating in the energy generation business and thus paying down the cost of their investment and their own power usage quicker.

Source;

http://integrityexports.com/2011/07/15/new-honda-cars-bikes-and-home-power-generation/

President and Director of Honda R&D Co. Ltd., Mr. Tomohiko Kawanabe, interviewed at Geneva Motor Show 2011

On Honda's R&D Strategy:

Honda has always been in the forefront of developing technologies which provide a positive contribution to people's lives and to society as a whole and this will never change.

So in our R&D activities, Honda will always strive to be a world leader in all manner of technologies which are really useful for mankind. This is nothing new - it was the philosophy of our founder Soichiro Honda - and it will continue to shape the direction of our R&D in the future.

On how Honda's sporting/racing heritage be incorporated in future models:

Motor racing and sports cars have always been an essential part of Honda's DNA. It's too early to talk about specific replacements for sporting models such as the Civic Type R, the S2000 and the NSX but you can be sure we are actively involved right now in evaluating and analysing just how our sporting DNA can be incorporated into our future model range.

On safety:

Honda has always been a leader in the field of safety technology and we intend to continue to lead in the future. Last year we received a Euro NCAP Advanced award for our CMBS - Collision Mitigation Brake System and of course this is a great honour. But for the future we believe that what we call "intelligent technology" will become more and more important in terms of automobile technology and so we have established the Honda Research Institute near Frankfurt whose specific brief is to develop these fundamental new technologies in collaboration with outside institutions such as Universities. So this is where we are directing our efforts in the field of automobile safety for the future.

On Honda's vision for sustainable mobility:

The whole concept of sustainable mobility is vitally important. In the short term our approach is to improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine - both petrol and diesel engines - but this is not enough to really talk about sustainable mobility.

For that we need to think about renewable energies and also renewable energy carriers such as electricity or hydrogen to ensure that we can provide the most appropriate energy source for different requirements.

So therefore Honda is also putting a great deal of effort into developing these renewable energy technologies in an environmentally friendly manner. For example, Honda is already producing solar panels so we can produce electricity from solar energy and this energy can then be used to produce hydrogen very efficiently. We are also working on technologies to produce Ethanol as an energy carrier. So our approach is that it's not just the engine and powertrain that need to be optimised but we also have to think about the energy production side of the equation. When we reach that point, then we can really start talking about sustainable mobility.

Source;

http://www.hondanews.eu/en/news/index.pmode/modul,detail,0,1737-DEFAULT,21,text,1/index.pmode

Honda Engineer Douglas Longhitano Honored with the SAE

WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 10, 2011 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Douglas C. Longhitano, senior engineer, Automotive Safety, Honda R&D Americas, Inc., was honored with the SAE International/InterRegs Standards & Regulations Award for Young Engineers during the SAE International 2011 Government/Industry Meeting, held earlier this year in Washington, D.C.

Established in 2000, this award recognizes a practicing engineer under the age of 40 who is involved in standards, regulations or conformity assessment systems which improved safety or reduced emissions in a ground vehicle mobility product. The nominee is required to author a 2,000 word essay detailing how this was achieved.

Since joining Honda in 1997, Longhitano's career has been dedicated to researching methods for mitigating crash related injuries, especially in the area of pedestrian protection. He has authored more than 20 technical publications related to crash injury mitigation and has presented many of his research findings at conferences such as ESV, the SAE World Congress, World Traffic Safety Symposium and SAE International Government Industry Meeting.

Longhitano earned the Ralph Boyer Young Achiever Award from the Ohio State University and the U.S. Government Award for Engineering Excellence from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for his work automotive safety research. Longhitano is a 15 year member of SAE International and is active on the Human Biomechanics and Simulation Standards Steering Committee as well as the U.S. Technical Advisory Groups to ISO supporting crash injury mitigation related standards. He supports student research as an organizer for the Injury Biomechanics Symposium hosted annually at The Ohio State University and is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, the Central Ohio Impact Biomechanics Engineering Consortium, and the Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies - Industrial Advisory Board.

Longhitano holds a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.
SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

Source;
http://www.centredaily.com/2011/02/10/2512661/honda-engineer-douglas-longhitano.html

ASIMO Humanoid Receives Honor as World’s Most Advanced Humanoid Robot

Honda’s ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) humanoid robot has set a new world record and has been honored as the World’s Most Advanced Humanoid Robot.

The ASIMO humanoid is part of Honda’s R&D initiatives in robotics and human mobility fields. The robot was developed at Honda's R&D Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center before ten years.

All joints of ASIMO include 34° of Freedom, enabling the robot to effectively respond to the natural human motions. It can identify various objects as well as the landscape of its environment. It can understand easy verbal instructions, identify faces and evades mobile obstacles as it moves.

The company launched several applications in the iphone and smartphone (A ‘Run with Asimo’) enabling users to communicate with a virtual ASIMO robot on their mobile.

The Honda engineers worked for ten years to develop the latest version. The robot can now walk and run on all irregular surfaces. It can even climb staircases and stretch to grab objects.

The ultimate mission of Honda’ robotics department is to enable ASIMO to help humans for performing their daily tasks and to carry out risky operations.

Source;
http://www.azorobotics.com/details.asp?newsID=902

Need A Test Track Cheap? Call Honda

Honda has put its 4,255-acre Mojave Desert proving grounds up for sale, complete with 7.5-mile oval, 4.5-mile road course and support buildings. Buy it and you can show off your motorcycle hooning skills to the desert rabbits.

Earlier this year, Honda decided to concentrate its U.S. development at its site in Ohio, making the desert facility superfluous. If you have the several million dollars likely necessary for such a property, you can find the particulars here. We do know a wealthy automotive magnate who can't seem to get enough driving done in the United States...

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5733721/need-a-test-track-cheap-call-honda

The Genius Behind Honda's Design Excellence

Here's an intersting read....

By Adil Jal Darukhanawala
On a recent visit to the Honda R & D facility in Wako, Japan, our Editor in Chief Adil Jal Darukhanawala was enlightened by one of the most creative minds at Honda's design stable, Mr Nobuki Ebisawa, General Manager, Honda R & D Co. Ltd. Here is the exclusive interview.

AJD: They say the visual aspect of the car is what turns on many motorists to go out, look at it, consider it and then buy it. One of the key elements in this strategy is in the realm of the designers. No one plays this better, emotionally, visually, physically, to convey every sense of the term where passion, dynamism, utility, and also practicality comes into the picture. I’m standing here in one very famous design studio at Honda's R&D Company at Wacko in Japan. This place did the first designs for two great Honda badges – the Civic and the Accord. Today it is churning out cars for the next generation. And we are going to speak to the person who heads it, runs it with a lot of skill, technology and passion going all the way back to the qualities endowed by Soichiro Honda, the company founder. I’m going to introduce to you Ebisawa-san, who is the heart and soul of Honda’s design studio.

Ebisawa-san, welcome to ZigWheels. Can you tell us about Honda design. What is the real Honda design philosophy, the DNA.

EB: Honda's DNA is represented by the two cars that we launched when we got into the automotive market, the S500 which is a very small sports car, and the other one is the T360 which is a small truck. The fact that those two cars were launched into the market almost simultaneously, this represents a key factor of the Honda DNA. The S500 is a sportscar which represents the dynamism and fun of cars. The other one is represented by the small truck which represents the mobility, the functionality of transporting people and goods. Dynamism and functionality – those form the core, the main axis of Honda’s DNA.

AJD: Very importantly, Honda came from motorcycles into cars. How much of the motorcycle rider do you still keep in mind when you think about evolving cars? Do you want to keep him in the same Honda family when he moves from motorcycles to cars?

EB: Of course, for motorcycles the first thing that comes to mind is the fun of riding, which connects to the dynamism of automobiles that we talked about earlier. At the same time, the motorcycle has the minimum and really efficient functionality in terms of mobility or moving people and goods. In that sense, even in motorcycles I believe that the combination of functionality and dynamism have been the key core in the design. IT is fair to say that we are developing motorcycles and automobiles based on the same DNA, with the same core.

AJD: Honda has moved across from a lot of different concepts - the sports car which you spoke about, the S500, and the truck as well. You were also the originator of the very small mini van, the Step Wagon. But I have never seen Honda pursue the Step Wagon concept outside Japan, whereas the other Japanese manufacturers took the small vans outside of Japan.

EB: It is true that we are not selling the Step Wagon outside Japan, however we are selling, for example, a model called Freed in Thailand and the Odyssey in the US as well. If you just look at the Step Wagon, we aimed it at the Japanese domestic market and we wanted to maximize the value of this car for the domestic market. That is how we stand right now.

AJD: This brings me to a very fundamental question. Many a times Japanese automakers have been accused of being very insular, looking only within Japan and not trying to take those concepts outside Japan. What you mention about the Step Wagon is very similar. This is different from what Maruti Suzuki has done with its Eeco and Omni, which are very similar in concept to the Step Wagon.

EB: I guess Suzuki has its own ideas, its own thinking. We are thinking of global cars, and when we say global cars, our four pillars are the Accord, the Civic, the CR-V and the Fit, or Jazz as it is known in India. Our strategy is to promote those four pillars all over the world and at the same time we try to come up with cars that are suited to the local needs of the different regions of the world and deploy some models there. That is our overall strategy. This is because even if you took the same car, depending on the market or the customers, depending on how they are accepted and how they are positioned is different from one market to another. So while we maintain those pillars very solidly, at the same time we try to tailor region dedicated cars that are finely suited to the needs of those markets.

AJD: Then you also have something like the City which we saw for Asia, and we also have the new small concept that is coming for the emerging markets. So that’s a change in your thought process, is it?

EB: The pillars remain unchanged. It is true that so far in the past when we talk about market-dedicated cars, we had cars targeted towards the Japan market or US market. We have many of those, that is true. Against that backdrop, it is true that the City was the first car that was targeted at the Asian market, and the small car here is the one that is targeted towards India, and to be deployed across Asia as well.

AJD: Very importantly, how much of a focus in design terms will come across the emerging market in the world which is Asia, because so far everything was focused etiher towards the US, Europe or Japan. How much will it now veer towards countries like India, China? Because they have very different sets of operating principles in play, and also local sensibilities are different from Europe and USA.

EB: First, we launched the City for Asia, next will be followed by the small car focusing on India first. We still don’t know what the acceptance will be for those cars yet. So what we would like to do first is to see how the market reacts to those models and how much acceptance those cars will see. And I believe that the proper sequence of events will be once we see how those cars are accepted in these markets and if necessary, come up with new models for those markets. Of course we do realize that Indian and other Asian nations are very critical, important to the future of this growth going forward.

For the rest of the article, follow this link;

http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/auto-insight/the-genius-behind-hondas-design-excellence/7380/2

Honda working to address environmental challenges

By Masahiro Takedagawa, For The Calgary Herald

Based on our commitment to innovation and original technology creation, Honda is working to help address the world's environmental challenges, such as global climate change, emissions reduction and energy sustainability.

Honda is taking a comprehensive portfolio approach that involves advanced powertrain and energy technologies for the near and longer terms.

Honda's unique strategy also includes further improvements to gasoline-engine fuel efficiency, including the expanding use of gasoline-electric hybrid technology; the development of viable alternatives to gasoline, including compressed natural gas, non-food-based biofuels, electric vehicles and hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric cars; and advanced energy production and distribution technologies including solar cells, co-generation systems and more efficient means of producing renewable biofuels.

IMPROVING FUEL EFFICIENCY

Ever since the company was founded, we have focused on meeting the mobility needs of our customers as well as concern for the environment, including leadership in fuel efficiency and emission-reduction technologies.

In the 1960s, Honda reinforced its commitment by establishing its Blue Skies for Our Children philosophy, and has maintained its position as a fuel-efficiency leader.

Honda is committed to further advancements in internal combustion engine efficiency, with a focus on the broad application of technologies such as VTEC and Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), and with the expanded application of pinnacle technologies such as Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system.

-As one of the most affordable hybrids available on the road today, the five-passenger Honda Insight, utilizes an interactive Ecological Drive Assist System to help enhance customers' fuel-efficient driving capabilities.

-Our new two-seat CR-Z sports hybrid expands Honda's line of hybrid vehicles by offering good fuel economy with sporty characteristics.

-Second-generation VCM technology is being used in theAccord V-6 sedan and coupe, Pilot SUV, Accord Crosstour and Odyssey minivan.

-Extensive use of advanced materials that improve fuel economy while allowing engineers to meet other critical targets such as vehicle safety.

REDUCING EMISSIONS

Honda has led all automakers in the introduction of vehicles that meet or exceed increasingly stringent exhaust emissions regulation:

-First gasoline-powered vehicles to meet American LEV, ULEV, SU-LEV, and AT-PZEV certifications.

-For model year 2011, all Honda and Acura vehicles meet or exceed Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions standards on an individual model basis, without the use of fleet averaging.

-Honda has been a leader in the application of overhead valve four-stroke engines to its power sports and power equipment product lines. All 2008 and newer Honda motorcycles, including competition models, and all Honda power equipment lines use OHV four-stroke engine technology.

FUEL-CELL TECHNOLOGY

Honda has paced the industry in the development and deployment of fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology as well as the refuelling infrastructure that will be required to take it to the mass market.

-Honda introduced the world's first production fuel-cell vehicle, the Honda FCX, in the U.S. and Japan in October 2002.

-Honda's FCX Clarity, the successor to the FCX, was the world's first purpose-built fuel-cell electric vehicle and the first to be manufactured on a dedicated production line.

-The FCX Clarity, with Honda's compact and efficient V Flow fuel-cell stack, achieves performance on par with a four-cylinder, five-passenger, gasoline-powered sedan but with three times the fuel efficiency.

CLEANER-ENERGY RESEARCH

Honda's efforts have gone beyond developing new vehicle technologies.
Honda has also focused its research and development resources on the creation of new sources of cleaner power.

-Solar cells: Honda-developed photovoltaic solar cells significantly reduce the energy and carbon-dioxide emissions in the manufacturing phase. Honda subsidiary Soltec Ltd. began mass production of Honda solar cells at its new Kumamoto, Japan, factory in October 2008. We will also be using these solar cells at our new Honda headquarters in Markham, Ont.

-Flexible fuel: Honda has developed a flexible-fuel system that enables engines to operate on either 100 per cent ethanol or a wide range of ethanol-gasoline fuel mixtures.

-Biofuel: To address the need for more efficient means of producing bio-ethanol in other areas of the world, Honda R&D and the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) are researching new technology to produce ethanol from soft-biomass, a renewable resource of plant-derived material.

There are numerous environmental challenges, and there are also numerous potential solutions to meet issues. That is why we have adopted a portfolio approach instead of only focusing on one specific technology.

In the near term, however, we believe optimum benefits will come from further advancements to fuel-efficient gasoline engines as well as gas-electric hybrid technology to help reduce our products' greenhouse gas emissions.

Source;

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Honda+working+address+environmental+challenges/3566242/story.html

Honda Conducts European Public Research to Perfect Human-Robot Interaction

Living with HUMANOID Robots

HONDA CONDUCTS EUROPEAN PUBLIC research to perfect
Human-Robot INTERACTION

A research project will be conducted this week in Linz, Austria, to discover what the ideal interaction between people and humanoid robots ought to be in the future, Honda R&D and Ars Electronica Futurelab announced today. The research, the first of its kind in Europe, will involve members of the public directly interacting with ASIMO, Honda's humanoid robot.

The findings from this and similar research around the world will be integrated into the functionality of future versions ASIMO. It will also help realise a humanoid robot that can interact effortlessly with people in a living environment and take on some the tasks that would help make people's lives easier.

For nearly a quarter of a century Honda has made significant progress towards this goal. The latest generation of this research is Honda's ASIMO, widely regarded as the most advanced humanoid robot. ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility, features functionality including high-level mobility and an ability to give and receive objects.

Satoshi Shigemi, Large Project Leader of ASIMO development, Honda R&D Co., Ltd., said:

"This is an exciting collaboration for us with Ars Electronica Futurelab, which has a long history of investigating human-machine interaction and design. It is a significant milestone in our development of ASIMO and an important piece of human-robot interaction research to examine the diverse levels of robot acceptance and interaction around the world. We've already held research in Japan and in time we will conduct similar research in different cultures and different parts of the world."

He added: "The aim of this research is to better understand what the ideal interaction and communication between people and humanoid robots ought to be in the future. People need to be able to comfortably communicate with the robot so that it can react properly to their commands and carry out their wishes when assistance is needed."

The collaborative research with members of the public visiting the Ars Electronica Center will take place from the 2nd to 8th September 2010 during the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria. Leading experts from around the globe in the fields of robotics, futurology and design will gather at the Festival.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.eu/en/news/index.pmode/modul,detail,0,1579-DEFAULT,21,text,1/index.pmode

Honda Technology Connects Brain with Robotics

"The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now *I* am the master."
A new device developed in Japan by Honda Motor Company can analyze thought patterns and actually relays them as wireless commands.

Straight out of a science fiction tale, now opening a car trunk or even controlling a home air-conditioner becomes merely a thought.

Honda’s robot is known as Asimo. Shaped like a human, it receives wireless commands via electric currents on a person’s scalp. Asimo can also decipher changes in cerebral blood flow whenever a person thinks about four movements; namely, moving the right hand, moving the left hand, running and eating.

According to Honda, a leader in the field of robotics, the technology is not quite ready for a live demonstration and is still in research stages for a number of reasons. Distractions in a person’s thinking could offset Asimo, and brain patterns differ greatly among individuals, which means advance study of at least two years is required in order for the technology to function. Also, the reading device needs to be smaller so it can be portable.

A recent video reveals a man wearing a helmet that is seated and thinking about moving his right hand. His thought is transmitted to the robot by cords attached to his head inside the helmet. It took a few seconds, but then Asimo, dutifully programmed to respond to brain signals, lifted its right arm.

Yasuhisa Arai, executive at Honda Research Institute had this to say regarding the project:
“I’m talking about dreams today. Practical uses are still way into the future. Our products are for people to use. It is important for us to understand human behavior. We think this is the ultimate in making machines move.”

Deciphering brain patterns represents an important breakthrough in medical research. All over the world, scientists are attempting to unlock the mysteries of the human brain, but Honda believes its research in the field is among the most advanced and least invasive anywhere.

Embedding the necessary sensors under the skin is a painless procedure that is easily tolerated. The Japanese government is encouraging this robotic research as it sees the industry as a path to growth.

Asimo is a Honda celebrity, appearing in television ads and at various public events. He fascinates all who view him, but as of yet, he cannot sign autographs. Hopefully that day will some soon.

Source;
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/8027