Renault and Geely present hybrid motor for EV tech platforms

Horse Powertrain, the joint venture between Renault and Geely for combustion engines, is presenting the ‘Future Hybrid Concept’ at Auto Shanghai, a compact powertrain developed for the hybridisation of battery-electric vehicle platforms as a range extender.

According to Horse Powertrain, the ‘Future Hybrid Concept’ should manage with minimal changes to the platform. In other words, platforms originally designed purely for electric drives could, in the event of a change in strategy, also easily be adapted for hybrid vehicles to offer hybrids based on this platform.

At its core, the concept consists of an integrated unit comprising the combustion engine, the electric motor, a gearbox and the drive control unit, which coordinates the individual components. According to Horse Powertrain, the unit is designed to be so compact that it can be easily replaced with the existing electric motor of the BEV platform. Combustion engines are usually significantly larger than electric drives and require more installation space. However, the joint venture is not revealing the performance data of such a compact hybrid unit. According to the published image, it appears to be an inline four-cylinder engine.

However, the combustion engine does not have to offer much power, as it is not intended to be the basis for a full hybrid or plug-in hybrid. Horse Powertrain specifies in the press release that it is a range extender for the existing battery of the BEV platform. The transmission should enable a pure EV mode, as well as parallel operation, but not a pure combustion mode.

“For over a decade it looked like Battery Electric Vehicles were the only path to net zero, and OEMs planned accordingly. However, we’re now shifting towards a technology-neutral world, with different markets and applications each
pursuing their own sustainable mobility journey,” said Matias Gianni, CEO of Horse Powertrain. “Our Future Hybrid Concept helps OEMs solve this problem. Through our innovation, we can deliver a full hybrid powertrain system that seamlessly integrates onto a Battery Electric Vehicle platform. This compact, integrated powertrain concept allows OEMs to offer powertrain diversity with minimal disruption to production process and resource expenditure.”

Horse Powertrain expects series production to begin in 2028. As the combustion engine is designed to run on ethanol, methanol and synthetic fuels in addition to conventional petrol, Horse Powertrain – in combination with the large BEV batteries and long electric ranges – wants to make the hybrid cleaner and shed its image as a deceptive package.

horse-powertrain.com (announcement as PDF)