Don't Rule Out an All-Electric Acura NSX
Don’t be surprised if the next-generation Acura NSX is a fully-electric supercar.
The idea behind a fully-electric Acura NSX isn’t very far-fetched considering the Japanese automaker already has a race car using the technology. First introduced for the 2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the four-motor NSX race car is said to produce around 1,000 horsepower and is inspiring Acura to look into the possibilities of making it production worthy.
“The technology used on the Pikes Peak car could be interesting,” said Sekino Yosuke, Honda’s head of research and development, in an interview with Autocar. “It’s not just a competition car; I would like to make such a car in production, and there are some studies around that.”
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The race car features an electric motor powering each wheel, and Honda claims it’s the “world’s first supercar with four-wheel independent torque allocation.” That means each wheel can accelerate or decelerate at any time. Honda has never confirmed the driving range of the all-electric NSX race car, especially since it was made to compete at Pikes Peak, but insiders say it’s capable of driving around 200 miles at modest speeds.
The chances of an all-electric NSX arriving anytime soon is low, however, since the next-generation model is unlikely to arrive before 2023. But by then, battery technology should advance significantly, making it not only cheaper but more appealing to use.
[Source: Autocar]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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all of this is certainly speculation at this point but I don't think Honda necessarily needs to wait until a next gen model for this type of electric set up. They already have the hard part done by fitting 2 separate electric motors to the front and surely they would have room for this in the rear. The biggest hurdle would likely be expanded battery space but one would think that could be accomplished. If Honda really put their noses to the grindstone on this they could get this production ready within this model cycle. Still, chances are they will not.