Fifteen months after revealing its plans for ‘off-the-shelf’ range-extender and hybrid powertrains, Horse Powertrain unveiled its Future Hybrid Powertrain solution earlier this year.
Available from 2027, the “all-in-one” powertrain is aimed at enabling a vehicle manufacturer to easily convert a BEV platform to a hybrid by replacing a front-mounted BEV drive motor and transmission with a hybrid unit.
Two different versions are available: the 740mm wide Performance, which incorporates two electric motors one on the engine output shaft and another on the transmission output shaft; and the 650mm wide Ultra-Compact, which has an electric motor between the engine and transmission.
Horse is also looking at a three-cylinder version, which cuts 70mm from the total width of the unit compared with the new four-cylinder set-up.
The Performance and Ultra-Compact form part of Horse Powertrain’s X-Range family, which the firm calls a “category of solutions designed to enrich EV platforms with combustion and hybrid technology”.
Both variants use the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine combined with a hybrid transmission and a full suite of power electronics that can integrate with other electrical systems, such as a DC/DC converter for stepping high voltage down to low voltage to power the usual vehicle ancillaries, an on-board charger and an 800V charging booster.
The units are installed transversely and have a slimline profile at the top and a wider profile at the bottom to comply with crash regulations. They can be used simply to convert a BEV to hybrid front-wheel drive, or combine with a rear-axle-mounted electric motor to create all-wheel drive. Both the Performance and Ultra-Compact can be employed to create a full hybrid, plug-in hybrid or range-extended EV.