A Horse, a joint venture between the Chinese company Geely and the French Group Renault, announced at the Shanghai Auto Show that it has developed a new hybrid engine designed to be installed in electric vehicles without the need to reconfigure the chassis or remodel its production line.
The “Future Hybrid Concept” is a hybrid propulsion system designed to accelerate the industry’s transition to net zero and integrates an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission into a single compact unit.
The new engine can be powered by a variety of fuel types. This includes gasoline, flexible fuels like ethanol, pure methanol, and modern synthetic fuels.
The compact size and geometry of the new powertrain concept have been designed to replace the front electric drive unit of a 100% electric vehicle and requires only minor modifications, as it is bolted directly to the vehicle’s substructure. Additionally, it can also be adapted to a traditional combustion vehicle platform.
Thus, this new propulsion system allows automakers to transform 100% electric vehicle platforms into hybrids, in order to meet the evolving demands of customers, while simultaneously eliminating the need for multiple platforms and production lines.
“For over a decade, it seemed that battery electric vehicles were the only path to net zero. However, we are now evolving into a technologically neutral world, with different markets and applications following their own path to sustainable mobility.”, said Matias Giannini, CEO of Horse Powertrain.
