Honda has announced a $124-million investment to build a wind tunnel facility in Ohio.
The multifunctional aeroacoustic wind tunnel facility will be used to advance vehicle innovation and enhance the testing facilities at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in East Liberty, Ohio. The groundbreaking is currently scheduled for late summer of 2017.
According to Honda, the wind tunnel will utilize a unique interchangeable belt system that is capable of testing both production vehicles and race cars. It features a five-belt rolling road system primarily designed for the development of production vehicles. But a second, single/wide belt system can be used to test high-performance sports cars and purpose-built race vehicles. Wind speeds up to 192 mph can be produced in the tunnel.
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“This new facility will further enhance our ability to efficiently create products of the highest quality for our customers,” said Frank Paluch, president of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. “It will be integral to our aerodynamic and aeroacoustic R&D activity, which spans from advanced research and computer simulation, through scale-model and full vehicle development, to production vehicle performance assurance. And all of this is being done right here in the U.S.”
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