2007 Honda Civic Si on 2040-cars

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IIHS study finds minivans are unsafe for second-row passengers

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) updated its moderate overlap front crash test in late 2022, and it found that four minivans struggle to protect second-row passengers. The agency stresses that minivan manufacturers need to prioritize safety for the rear occupants. While the minivan is no longer a common sight in driveways across America, it remains relatively popular among buyers with kids and gear to haul around. The IIHS tested four models: the Chrysler Pacifica, the Kia Carnival, the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey. These vans were put through an updated test that places a dummy the size of a small woman or a 12-year-old child in the seat directly behind the driver. IIHS explains that, for a vehicle to earn a "good" rating, there can't be an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh. None of the four minivans achieved that distinction; the Pacifica, the Carnival and the Sienna got a "marginal" rating, while the Odyssey scored a "poor" rating. IIHS also points out that, with the exception of the Sienna, these vans lack a seatbelt reminder for the second-row passengers. Chrysler Pacifica View 5 Photos "The restraint systems in all four vehicles leave the second-row occupant vulnerable to chest injuries, either because of excessive belt forces or poor belt positioning. That's concerning because those injuries can be life-threatening," said Jessica Jermakian, the IIHS vice president of vehicle research, in a statement. IIHS stresses, in spite of these results, the back seat remains the safest place for children to travel in. In the Sienna, the rear dummy "submarined" (or slid forward) beneath the lap belt while the shoulder belt moved toward the neck. In the Carnival and the Pacifica, the seatbelt put too much force on the dummy's chest. IIHS adds that, alarmingly, the Pacifica's side curtain airbag did not deploy during the crash test and that the forces exerted on the dummy's neck were high in the Carnival. In the Odyssey, the forces exerted on the head and on the neck were even higher, and the dummy's head came too close to the front seatback in spite of the seatbelt. On a brighter note, all four vans earned a "good" rating for front-passenger protection. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Chrysler Honda Kia Toyota Safety Minivan/Van IIHS crash test Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Honda, GM fuel-cell partnership wants to reduce hydrogen refueling costs

To paraphrase the old political adage, it's the cost, stupid. Dollar signs are what's prompting Honda and General Motors to partner up to accelerate development of a hydrogen fuel cell system. With about half the cost of a fuel-cell system tied up in its fuel-cell stack, GM and Honda are looking to help each other drive costs down, according to a presentation by GM fuel cell research and development director Mark Mathias said in a presentation at the SAE 2014 Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Technologies Symposium. According to Green Car Congress, Honda and GM are looking to reap the fruits of their collective labor by 2020. As with other automakers, the high cost of producing fuel-cell vehicles is the fly in the ointment of a powertrain technology that combines the same range as gas-powered vehicles but with zero emissions. In the meantime, Honda, which makes the very limited production FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle, is slated to start selling its own mass-market fuel-cell vehicle in 2015. The two automakers made their partnership announcement last summer and said they contribute to expanding hydrogen fuel infrastructure in California during the next few years. Earlier, Ford, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Nissan also said they would work together to speed up fuel-cell technology development.

Honda CR-Z carbon-fiber prototype

When Honda rolled out the CR-Z a few years ago, it hoped to bridge the gap between those who would save the planet and those who would rather burn all of its resources in a glorious cloud of tire smoke. But enthusiasts recalling the CRX of 1980s vintage balked, imploring Honda to ditch the heavy battery packs and electric motors in favor of a lighter-weight, more conventional powertrain. At this point it seems less likely that Honda would do so at one end of the market than Porsche would ditch the hybrid component of its 918 Spyder at the other. But that doesn't mean Honda isn't still cooking up ways to curb the CR-Z's weight. And it had just one such idea waiting for us when we visited its Japanese R&D center at Tochigi last week.
Nestled in between the JDM hatchbacks, powertrain test mules and new technology prototypes Honda rolled out for us sat the experimental CR-Z you see here. While it may look mostly like the hybrid sport-hatch you can pick up at your local dealer (albeit blacked out), nearly all of this prototype's bodywork has been completely replaced, as have its basic underpinnings, with carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. The exotic material is usually reserved for high-end exotics, but like BMW is democratizing its use in the new i3, so too is Honda researching ways to implement the use of carbon fiber on a mass scale. This one-of-a-kind CR-Z prototype stands, for the time being, as the embodiment of that effort.
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