Honda Opens $124 Million Wind Tunnel in Ohio

EAST LIBERTY, OH – The need for quieter, more aerodynamic vehicles is growing exponentially and so is the need for more wind tunnels.

Slippery exteriors that improve fuel efficiency always have been important, but the move to battery-electric vehicles expands the need. BEVs must be slippery on the outside but also extraordinarily quiet on the inside, because noises no longer are masked by engine and exhaust sounds.

Honda has three wind tunnels in Japan, but the growing need for new capabilities – and the high costs of transporting concept vehicles and engineering teams back and forth – led to the construction of the new $124 million multi-purpose wind tunnel in East Liberty, OH, near major Honda manufacturing and research facilities.

The new Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) wind tunnel is located at the independent Transportation Research Center in Central Ohio and claimed to be the world's most advanced wind tunnel, with three separate state-of-the art testing functions — aerodynamics, aero acoustics and racing in one location.

The wind tunnel can quickly move from conventional vehicle exterior testing to a sophisticated aero-acoustic testing mode that uses a system of acoustic arrays, made up of microphones and cameras, that are able to collect real-time data and precision measurements.

These acoustic testing functions are growing more important as an element of vehicle design as the company moves toward its electrified future, the automaker says. Without engine and exhaust sounds, wind noise will be more noticeable inside the cabin of an electric vehicle. Using the acoustic-test system, Honda engineers say they will be able to identify the precise locations of both interior and exterior noise issues more quickly than ever.

"Honda's product development capabilities will advance to new heights thanks to this investment in our Ohio research operations," says Jim Keller, executive vice president-Honda Development & Manufacturing of America (HDMA), and leader of the company's North American Auto Development Center. "With this new facility, Honda is not simply investing in an advanced technology facility but in the future of the Honda engineers and other researchers who will work here."