Honda opened a new $124 million wind tunnel facility at the independent Transportation Research Center in central Ohio. The automaker calls it the most advanced wind tunnel on earth and it will work on aerodynamics for both race and road cars, and with researchers to study the increasingly important field of aeroacoustics.
The facility uses a unique interchangeable modular ground plane system that allows it to test the aerodynamics of both production vehicles and race cars. That’s thanks to a five-belt rolling road system designed for production cars and a second, single wide-belt system for high-performance sports cars and race vehicles. They will operate with fans that can run at speeds of up to 310 km/h (192.6 mph).
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“Honda’s product development capabilities will advance to new heights thanks to this investment in our Ohio research operations,” said Jim Keller, executive vice president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC (HDMA), and leader of the company’s North American Auto Development Center. “With this new facility, Honda is not simply investing in an advanced technology facility but in the future of the Honda engineers and other researchers who will work here.”
In addition to aerodynamic testing, the wind tunnel also allows aeroacoustic testing, which measures wind noise using a powerful system of acoustic arrays made up of microphones and cameras. These collect real-time data, allowing Honda to ensure that vehicle interiors are quieter, something that is becoming more and more important as vehicles go electric.
Honda says that the new wind tunnel, along with its advanced safety research center, gives Honda’s R&D engineers two world-class facilities in Ohio to design products built in America. It will also allow Honda to work with other entities that are interested in aerodynamic and aeroacoustic research and support STEM activities.
