Honda has officially opened a new wind tunnel testing facility in Ohio, where it will test Honda and Acura production vehicles, and race cars, as part of their development.
The new facility, Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO), cost US$124 million and is located at an independent facility, the Transportation Research Center Inc. It has an interchangeable modular ground plane system, including a five-belt rolling road system for production vehicles, and a single wide-belt system for high-performance sports cars and race cars.
Honda said it can perform three separate testing functions for aerodynamics, aeroacoustics – noise created by airflow – and racing in one location. Using a giant fan, the tunnel can generate wind speeds up to 310 km/h.
The Honda wind tunnel’s fan and an employee for size comparison Photo by Honda
Aeroacoustics is tested with a system of microphones and cameras that collect real-time information. Honda said these tests will become increasingly important as it adds electric vehicles to its offerings, since unwanted noise is more noticeable in a car that doesn’t create engine or exhaust noise.
The automaker said the test facility will allow engineers to quickly locate the precise position of interior and exterior noise issues.
The company said HALO will allow it to build relationships with other companies interested in similar research, and “sustain the general aerodynamic community’s testing needs” — meaning that Honda will undoubtedly rent out the tunnel to other companies when it’s not using it, which is common with these expensive facilities.
While transportation companies use wind tunnels on everything from airplanes to tractor-trailers, they’re also commonly used to test other products, such as drones, windows, and “street furniture” such as bus shelters and trash cans. A similar wind-test facility at the Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario has even been used as a movie set when actors have to be depicted in a storm.
Keyword: Honda opens new cutting-edge wind tunnel in Ohio