Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

All that has to do with the power train, gearbox, clutch, fuels and lubricants, etc. Generally the mechanical side of Formula One.
mzso
mzso
72
Joined: 05 Apr 2014, 14:52

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

emp wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 12:48
_cerber1 wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 10:40
Bill wrote:
09 Jan 2026, 20:37
Honda are the only manufacturer who has built a full fledged solid state battery factory in Sakura were they make their pu.most of the talk about magic batteries are usually relegated to lab experiments that never see light of day.so honda do take these project seriously and has massively invested.
A number of Chinese automakers (SAIC, Chery, GAC, GWM и BYD) already have their own factories producing solid-state batteries, and some of them are preparing for mass production of electric vehicles this year.
You mean researching SSD batteries. The technology is not ready to be commercially available yet. There is one company in Finland that just said they are using it in a motorcycle.
Solid-state batteries have long been the holy grail of electric vehicles, but after years of development, they may finally be a viable option. Verge Motorcycles, a Finnish/Estonian mobility brand is claiming to have the world’s first production EV fitted with a solid state battery. Working with its in-house technology partner Donut Lab, the firm brand will start deliveries of its solid-state powered motorbikes within months.
They don't need to be commercial products to be used in F1. Hell, a test production line could provide a team with battery cells, maybe all teams.

I assume you mean solid state batteries. They don't build batteries of SSD drives. :)

User avatar
diffuser
256
Joined: 07 Sep 2012, 13:55
Location: Montreal

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

_cerber1 wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 10:16
diffuser wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 05:26
Name me 1 automotive manufacture that charges and discharges a battery 100 times in 1 hour(about twice a minute) and has to do that 8 times before being able to replace the battery. Not 1 car in the world comes close to having to match those demands.
How do Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, and now Audi do it in F1? How do other manufacturers do it in other series? Basically, any electric car with energy recovery does this as many times as necessary per minute while driving, giving and receiving energy.
My point was, F1 battery demands aren't the same as automotive production demands.

emp
emp
1
Joined: 08 Feb 2015, 15:57

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

mzso wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 13:37
emp wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 12:48
_cerber1 wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 10:40


A number of Chinese automakers (SAIC, Chery, GAC, GWM и BYD) already have their own factories producing solid-state batteries, and some of them are preparing for mass production of electric vehicles this year.
You mean researching SSD batteries. The technology is not ready to be commercially available yet. There is one company in Finland that just said they are using it in a motorcycle.
Solid-state batteries have long been the holy grail of electric vehicles, but after years of development, they may finally be a viable option. Verge Motorcycles, a Finnish/Estonian mobility brand is claiming to have the world’s first production EV fitted with a solid state battery. Working with its in-house technology partner Donut Lab, the firm brand will start deliveries of its solid-state powered motorbikes within months.
They don't need to be commercial products to be used in F1. Hell, a test production line could provide a team with battery cells, maybe all teams.

I assume you mean solid state batteries. They don't build batteries of SSD drives. :)
Yeah, mind was flying :D Just solid state.

Nevertheless, why would anyone research and develop a type of technology if the goal isn't to make money with it? And yeah, in F1 there are a lot of money, but worldwide are more. Plus money from patents, intellectual property and so on. I think the goal is always to go public and make big money on electrification, Honda or all the other companies that are researching.

mzso
mzso
72
Joined: 05 Apr 2014, 14:52

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

emp wrote:
10 Jan 2026, 16:16
Nevertheless, why would anyone research and develop a type of technology if the goal isn't to make money with it? And yeah, in F1 there are a lot of money, but worldwide are more. Plus money from patents, intellectual property and so on. I think the goal is always to go public and make big money on electrification, Honda or all the other companies that are researching.
One does not exclude the other. In fact selling cells to F1 teams might help development funded if it's a smaller project.

User avatar
AR3-GP
401
Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

Image
Beware of T-Rex

Snorked
Snorked
69
Joined: 16 Mar 2015, 21:00

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

It seems they’ll be releasing one segment per day until the full image is revealed on the 20th.

Image

User avatar
aleks_ader
90
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 08:40

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

what a trolls haha :D
"And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver..." Ayrton Senna

Vappy
Vappy
0
Joined: 14 Mar 2024, 20:09

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

Snorked wrote:
12 Jan 2026, 17:47
It seems they’ll be releasing one segment per day until the full image is revealed on the 20th.

https://ibb.co/wNyDpP2N
Has anyone nailed what those two cylindrical fittings are on the top? For reference, this is the Honda RA621H:

Image

User avatar
AR3-GP
401
Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

Vappy wrote:
12 Jan 2026, 23:09
Snorked wrote:
12 Jan 2026, 17:47
It seems they’ll be releasing one segment per day until the full image is revealed on the 20th.

https://ibb.co/wNyDpP2N
Has anyone nailed what those two cylindrical fittings are on the top? For reference, this is the Honda RA621H:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... RA621H.jpg
It could be a part of the intercooler circuit.
Beware of T-Rex

vorticism
vorticism
374
Joined: 01 Mar 2022, 20:20
Location: YooEssay

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

Snorked wrote:
12 Jan 2026, 17:47
It seems they’ll be releasing one segment per day until the full image is revealed on the 20th.

https://ibb.co/wNyDpP2N
Would that be the MGUK sitting alongside the ES? Blurry cylinder. It would allow placement of that mass ahead of the ICE while keeping it as low as possible, rather than stacking it atop the ES.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

User avatar
aleks_ader
90
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 08:40

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

vorticism wrote:
13 Jan 2026, 03:05
Snorked wrote:
12 Jan 2026, 17:47
It seems they’ll be releasing one segment per day until the full image is revealed on the 20th.

https://ibb.co/wNyDpP2N
Would that be the MGUK sitting alongside the ES? Blurry cylinder. It would allow placement of that mass ahead of the ICE while keeping it as low as possible, rather than stacking it atop the ES.

Motor infront ICE timing gears will never happen, same for from rear. All experiment (Honda concept, F14T) that were done in those direction were futile and dint bring any real benefit. Each side of crank is hugely air starved and void space. Hence makes sense to fill in those space with heavy ICE ancillaries.

Current KERS , sump pump ; exhaust geometries complement each side of cylinder bank. Especially at 90deg ICE BANK ANGLE. Furthermore we dont have any real possibility to change and undercut monokok width to gain any advantage with such system. I woudl argue polar moment of inertia its lowest in optimised legacy configuration.
"And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver..." Ayrton Senna

User avatar
diffuser
256
Joined: 07 Sep 2012, 13:55
Location: Montreal

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

aleks_ader wrote:
14 Jan 2026, 18:59
vorticism wrote:
13 Jan 2026, 03:05
Snorked wrote:
12 Jan 2026, 17:47
It seems they’ll be releasing one segment per day until the full image is revealed on the 20th.

https://ibb.co/wNyDpP2N
Would that be the MGUK sitting alongside the ES? Blurry cylinder. It would allow placement of that mass ahead of the ICE while keeping it as low as possible, rather than stacking it atop the ES.

Motor infront ICE timing gears will never happen, same for from rear. All experiment (Honda concept, F14T) that were done in those direction were futile and dint bring any real benefit. Each side of crank is hugely air starved and void space. Hence makes sense to fill in those space with heavy ICE ancillaries.

Current KERS , sump pump ; exhaust geometries complement each side of cylinder bank. Especially at 90deg ICE BANK ANGLE. Furthermore we dont have any real possibility to change and undercut monokok width to gain any advantage with such system. I woudl argue polar moment of inertia its lowest in optimised legacy configuration.
C5.18.3 — MGU-K (MGU-K Mechanical Power Connection)

“All mechanical power to and from the MGU-K must pass through a single shaft to the MGU-K transmission. The connection to the ICE crankshaft must be ahead of XPU=100.”


This rule mandates where the MGU-K must connect mechanically to the ICE crankshaft — specifically that that connection point lies in front (in the positive XPU direction) of the defined reference plane XPU = 100.

XPU coordinates are part of the PU coordinate system defined elsewhere in the regs, used to standardize where major PU elements are placed relative to the chassis and each other.
 FRONT OF CAR                                      REAR OF CAR
 ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────▶ +X (rearward)

 | Survival Cell |  ICE Front     ICE Crankshaft     ICE Rear | Gearbox |

        │              │                │               │
        │              │                │               │
      XA=0           XPU=0          XPU=100          XPU>100

The 100 is in mm

saviour stivala
saviour stivala
46
Joined: 25 Apr 2018, 12:54

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

The 2026 regulations mandate that the MGU-K must be enclosed within the chassis's survival cell, alongside all high-voltage components within the car's core structure. Connected to the front of the crankshaft, most likely via the timing gears. The regulations specify that its drive axis must be parallel to the ICE crankshaft.
Last edited by saviour stivala on 15 Jan 2026, 05:50, edited 1 time in total.

vorticism
vorticism
374
Joined: 01 Mar 2022, 20:20
Location: YooEssay

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

The rules are set up to accommodate placement of the MGUK & its transmission in a variety of locations with no weight penalty for more distal locating. In front of the ICE or alongside the ICE (previous precedent). diffuser pointed out the transmission attachment point which encourages forward placements. Inside the vee would be elegant, if just for symmetry & structural efficiency--replacing the MGUH.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

User avatar
AR3-GP
401
Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

Post

vorticism wrote:
15 Jan 2026, 18:26
The rules are set up to accommodate placement of the MGUK & its transmission in a variety of locations with no weight penalty for more distal locating. In front of the ICE or alongside the ICE (previous precedent). diffuser pointed out the transmission attachment point which encourages forward placements. Inside the vee would be elegant, if just for symmetry & structural efficiency--replacing the MGUH.
Maybe. Inside the V would increase the center of mass height quite a bit, but if there is a performance advantage in spite of this, then it is possible.

Image

Renault had a side-mounted MGU-k

Image
Last edited by AR3-GP on 15 Jan 2026, 18:59, edited 1 time in total.
Beware of T-Rex