The new Acura EV Concept will be fielded in the Electric Modified Class at the 2016 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, as powered by an evolved version of the all-electric, four-motor Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) powertrain that made a dominating case in the 2015 Pikes Peak Challenge Exhibition class.

Inspired by the NSX supercar, the Acura EV Concept will be piloted by Tetsuya Yamano at the 2016 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Yamano remarked that the team has been working on the Acura EV Concept for several weeks at Pikes, thereby significantly advancing the prototype’s performance. He said it will be an honor to pilot the Acura EV Concept at the 100th year of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Yamano piloted the CR-Z-based electric prototype in 2015.

The Acura EV Concept is regarded as a definitive personification of the all-wheel-drive Electric SH-AWD powertrain that features the first technology in the world that allows for four-wheel independent torque allocation. As a point of interest, the Electric SH-AWD powertrain in the Acura EV Concept could provide three times the total system output of 2015 electric prototype. Honda’s “super handling” technology has been in development for over two decades as the carmaker’s R&D seeks to achieve ideal vehicle handling.

Acura was able to achieve independent torque distribution to all four corners of the vehicle by applying separate Twin Motor Units (TMUs) – considered as the brains of Sport Hybrid SH-AWD — on each axle, thereby pulling off true four-wheel torque vectoring. The team used its experience and knowledge gained from the 2015 race to update the system management of the powertrain for a more precise thrust at each wheel.

This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD technology takes advantage of the highly responsive acceleration attributes as well as regeneration capability of electric motors to augment the torque vectoring systems found in the NSX, available on the RLX and the up and coming 2017 MDX.

The technology is able to draw out ideal handling characteristics in different driving conditions by coordinating and managing all the dynamic systems of the vehicle like the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Electronic Power Steering (EPS), Electronic Power Steering (EPS), and Sport Hybrid SH-AWD. Backed by its high-output electric motors and 4-motor torque vectoring, the Acura EV Concept is ready to tackle the challenges presented especially by the 156 complex turns of the 12.42-mile Pikes Peak.