Key Takeaways
- Honda patents a novel belt-spinning aerodynamic device.
- Air injectors and fans would bolster aerodynamic performance.
- Honda’s patent seems complex but could form part of a broader aerodynamic package.
Automakers are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve efficiency, something that is becoming harder and harder to achieve as cars get both larger and heavier. Honda’s latest idea – discovered by CarBuzz in a filing at the United States Patent and Trademark Office – is one of the most novel we’ve ever come across, employing “spinners” attached to belts laid along a car’s bodywork, air injectors, and suction fans to change the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle. Unlike the innovative McMurtry Speirling, which has a fan sucking the car to the ground, Honda’s patent aims to manipulate the air that flows around and over the body of a car, not that under it. Let’s take a closer look.
Honda
Japanese automaker Honda rose from the ashes of WWII and set about its business as a manufacturer of motorcycles initially, only launching its first car, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Founder Soichiro Honda targeted the American market as the most important nut to crack, leading to generations of iconic nameplates like the Civic and Accord being among America’s best-selling passenger cars. Today, Hondas are renowned for their safety, practicality, and reliability, with a sprinkling of performance from models like the Civic Type R.
- Founded
- 24 September 1948
- Founder
- Soichiro Honda
- Headquarters
- Hamamatsu, Japan
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Toshihiro Mibe
Literal Conveyor Belts For Body Panels
The patent makes use of two rotors connected by a belt. Electric motors actuate the movement of these rotors, allowing them to spin in place, thereby moving the belt. This belt would be sited in line with the exterior bodywork but could potentially be repositioned to protrude further from the body to create a separation of airflow. The idea is that as the belt accelerates, it directs tiny streams of air where Honda wants them, allowing the car to create disturbances that can be used to channel the air toward or away from certain parts of the body.
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As one can imagine, the aerodynamic effect of such a small device would be minimal, but Honda has a way to increase its efficacy. In the patent drawings, this continuous belt slips between gaps in the bodywork. On the side upstream of the belt, Honda envisions an air injector being used to further accelerate the air around the spinning belt. Similarly, on the other end of the belt, as it slides back between the body panels, a suction device (fan) could also help promote faster airflow.
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This Sounds Needlessly Complicated
As far as we can tell, these devices would have a very small effect on aerodynamic efficiency, at least in isolation – much bigger elements are needed to create meaningful drag and downforce. However, the placement of these devices on the corners of the car surely has some benefit, and Honda specifically notes how these devices could be adjusted to work in different scenarios and in different ways, depending on factors like vehicle speed, air pressure and temperature, and the shape or geometry of a certain piece of bodywork.
In our minds, Honda is suggesting that this little aerodynamic device would be part of a larger package, working in tandem with traditional aero devices like spoilers and wings. There’s no guarantee that the innovation will reach a production car anytime soon, but we’d love to see active aero on the production-bound Prelude…
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Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.
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