Mercedes Engine Supplier Has Found A Way To Make EVs Popular: Make Them Hybrids

A company named after one of the oldest forms of transportation is getting ready to launch one of the most high-tech powertrains anywhere. One that, like going from a car to a horse, sounds like a big step backward from what we would expect.

The Future Hybrid Concept comes from the company building the four-cylinder engines for the new CLA and will be revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show next week. It combines an engine, motor, and transmission all into one compact unit. The goal is to be able to turn an electric car into one that isn’t.

Turning An EV Into A Hybrid? It’s Never Been Done Before

Yes, that sounds absurd. Why would you want to create an EV just to make it not an EV anymore? But Horse has an answer to that: “This allows BEVs to be hybridized with minimal new assembly and tooling.” In other words, if an automaker has already invested in EVs, it need not be a death knell for them.

Putting electric motors into gas-powered models and hybrids is nothing new. It’s actually resulted in some excellent EVs, including the Genesis Electrified G80 and the BMW i4. But going the other way has been tougher, and therefore, much more expensive.

Horse promises a gas engine, electric motor, and transmission in one package small enough to fit where the front electric drive of an EV was originally planned. With “only minor subframe modification.”

With the delays in electric vehicle adoption, suddenly, there is a desire to go from EV to HEV. Porsche will develop gas versions of its EVs, while over at Stellantis, there are similar plans, and others have shown that vehicles that were meant to be EVs could suddenly find themselves needing gas engines. Typically, an expensive redesign and new production lines have been the way to do it.

New System Could Help Both EV And Gas Model Production

This could help bring EVs to market sooner, as they can be built with hybrid power at the same time on the same line. Allowing for a greater return on investment as EV demand ramps.

Horse isn’t going into details on the project just yet. Expect more on that in Shanghai. It said that the system would include an 800V charging booster, suggesting that it would also be ideal for creating range-extended EVs, another bridge to full electrification.

The engine itself has been designed to support gasoline, E85 ethanol fuel, M100 methanol, and synthetic fuels. E85 is a very common fuel in South America, and M100 is reportedly a growing alternative fuel in China, India, and parts of Africa. Horse did not say how much power it would make or even the displacement.

Related

Volvo In No Rush To Phase Out XC90, XC60 And S90

The automaker wants to keep its mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid models for at least a few more years.

Horse Powertrain is a joint venture between French automaker Renault and Chinese brand Geely. The company brought in Renault’s ICE and hybrid operations as well as Geely’s Swedish powertrain subsidiary Aurobay. Horse will supply a 2.0-liter turbo-four to Mercedes-Benz for the CLA 250. It is also expected to supply engines to Volvo, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. The company says it currently builds more than 8 million engines and transmissions per year.

The company expects the new Future Hybrid Concept to enter production from 2028.