Honda Teases 800 Horsepower CR-V Hybrid Racer As Proof Electrified Means Exciting
Electrification offers some exciting possibilities for the future of vehicle technology, especially racing. Hybrids, while being less efficient than full electric vehicles, offer the best of both forms of propulsion. Electric motors, with instantaneous torque, can get a car off the line much quicker than a gasoline engine. Gas motors, at least for now, are capable of much higher speeds when going flat out on the track. There's a reason cars like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale utilize a hybrid system.
The Honda CR-V crossover is a capable family hauler and commuter for thousands of people across the country, and it's about as diametrically opposed to a Ferrari as a car can be. It's not a particularly exciting vehicle, but it doesn't need to be, and it's perfectly happy going from someone's driveway to the parking garage at work and occasionally driving to the beach. Engineers from Honda decided to spice up a CR-V to show off what electrification can bring to the table.
Honda's hybrid from hell
Honda Performance Development and Auto Development Center's newest project is titled simply "Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer." Although not much has been revealed about it yet, it does have "some 800 electrified horsepower," according to a Honda press release. 800 horsepower makes the "super" CR-V roughly four times as powerful as a regular CR-V hybrid. The exact drivetrain is not known, but a big part of that horsepower likely comes from a hellacious set of electric motors, with the rest of the power coming from a high-revving, racing-derived gasoline engine.
The inside of the show car looks more like an F1 cockpit than a car that's perpetually on its way to soccer practice. There is absolutely no way this car would ever be offered to the public, and it likely doesn't share too many mechanical components with a standard CR-V — besides the Honda badge on the grille. Even so, electrification made the "uber-CR-V" possible, and shows a look at what might be a bright future for performance-minded gear heads. The car will be shown off in its full glory on February 28.