As car makers strive to make lighter, more powerful and fuel efficient vehicles, new technologies have been created to address those goals. One of note is the Acura Twin Motor Unit (TMU).
The TMU provides advanced AWD capabilities, enhanced corning performance, while also providing regenerative braking to assist battery recharge. It is exclusive in the Acura MDX, NSX, and RLX 4WD applications.
Located between the rear wheels (MDX-RLX) and the front wheels on the NSX, the TMU replaces the normal type differential. Inside its aluminum housing are two electric 36 HP motors positioned back to back that power each wheel independently. A clutch allows each motor to be decoupled from its wheel in certain operating conditions to improve efficiency. Each motor is also controlled independently and can supply advanced torque vectoring- either positive or negative depending on need.
