- Honda and Continental presented with an Innovation Partnership Award for their benchmark collaboration during the development of the Bidirectional Long Range Communications (BLRC) System.
Continental, a leading international automotive supplier, and Honda R&D Americas, Inc. were presented with a 2016 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Innovation Partnership Award for their benchmark collaboration during the development of the Bidirectional Long Range Communications (BLRC) System. The BLRC was a 2016 PACE Awards program finalist, marking the eighth consecutive year the company has had an entry named as an award finalist and its second consecutive Innovation Partnership Award.
The Innovation Partnership Award was presented to Continental and Honda during the annual PACE Awards ceremony held Monday, April 11, 2016, at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center in Detroit for the outstanding and important level of collaboration between the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customer and supplier.
"We are proud the PACE Awards judges have chosen our collaboration with Honda for this prestigious recognition," said Jeff Klei, President of Continental North America. "Our close partnership fostered the development of innovative solutions to the challenges of providing safe and reliable bidirectional communication across significant distances, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and enabling OEM differentiation."
"Building a successful partnership like the one forged with Continental does not happen overnight," said Frank Paluch, President of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. "It takes time, trust, teamwork and a singular goal – to deliver a product that provides great value to our customers. It is an honor to be recognized by the PACE award committee for this innovative collaboration."
The BLRC System enables a driver to use a remote control key fob from up to a third of a mile away – or 600 meters – to start the engine, activate climate controls and receive status feedback (such as locked/unlocked) at performance levels previously thought to be unattainable. An owner can now connect with a vehicle at 20 times the range of traditional remote-access systems to utilize security and convenience functions, as well as many others, based on OEM preferences.
Continental and Honda worked together to develop these features using proprietary advanced technology consisting of a remote control key fob with optical feedback, powered by a single standard coin cell, and an innovative vehicle-mounted transceiver. The strong partnership enabled the development of several unique BLRC System solutions, such as having the key fob utilize a newly developed battery concept that does not require charging. It maintains a two-year battery life by transferring energy from the coin cell to a rechargeable battery, buffering the peak currents necessary for the radio transmissions.
The innovative BLRC System made its market debut on the Acura MDX in 2013 and was quickly followed by the Acura TLX and RLX in 2014. In 2015, the BLRC System launched on the Acura RDX and ILX vehicles enabling the system on all Acura vehicles.
Last year, Continental was honored with two PACE Awards for its Bare Die High-Density-Interconnect (BD-HDI) Printed Circuit Board Substrate Technology for Transmission Electronics and its Multi-application Unified Sensor Element (MUSE), as well as an Innovation Partnership Award with Audi AG.
About Continental
Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner, the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe, comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2015, the corporation generated preliminary sales of €39.2 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tire, and ContiTech. Continental currently employs more than 208,000 people in 55 countries.
About Honda R&D Americas, Inc.
Honda R&D Americas, Inc. (HRA) is responsible for creating advanced products and technologies that provide new value to Honda and Acura customers. HRA has the capability of "complete product creation" – developing all-new products, starting from market and technology research and design styling through engineering design, prototype fabrication and testing, local parts procurement, and support for mass production preparation. With major facilities in California, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, HRA is engaged in the development and testing of Honda and Acura automobiles, and Honda power sports and power equipment products, and is also taking a leading role in the advancement of leading-edge safety, driver assistive and environmental technologies.