Blue Energy, a joint venture between battery manufacturer GS Yuasa and Honda, has announced that their state of the art EHW5 lithium-ion battery will be used on Honda’s new NSX hybrid-powered sports car.

The new EHW5 lithium-ion battery has been engineered to generate higher output despite a reduced size and weight. The battery is 17% lighter and 7% smaller than conventional products but delivers more capacity and higher output as well as increased durability and safety. This has allowed the battery module on each vehicle to be reduced by 20% in size with a 15% weight reduction.

Launched in August this year, Honda’s new NSX is 550+ BHP hybrid sports car is powered by a direct-injection V6 petrol engine, boosted by a single electric motor driving the rear axle. At the front are two further electric motors, which vary the amount of torque applied to each wheel. This configuration is Honda’s Sport Hybrid all-wheel-drive system (SH-AWD).

The Blue Energy battery efficiently stores regenerative energy, which is collected during deceleration and ensures smooth and powerful acceleration performance by assisting the engine and the electric motors.

Established in 2009 by GS Yuasa and Honda, Blue Energy is focussed on developing lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. It started mass production of lithium-ion batteries in 2011 and has installed them in more than 600,000 vehicles since then. This translates to more than 30 million cells. Vehicles installed with Blue Energy lithium-on batteries include, the Honda CR-Z, the Accord and many other global Honda Hybrid models.