KATHMANDU: Although many automobile companies are considering ending the production of fuel-powered cars and going fully electric, some are now rethinking their plans.
Since a lot of money has already been invested in EV technology, redesigning electric cars to include fuel engines is not as simple as it looks. However, a company named Horse Powertrain—a joint venture of Renault Group, Chinese carmaker Geely, and Saudi oil giant Aramco—has introduced a new and creative approach. Instead of putting electric motors into traditional fuel-powered cars, as many companies have done in the past, Horse Powertrain wants to do the opposite: install a fuel-burning engine into an electric car. This idea could make it easier and cheaper for car companies to offer both electric and hybrid vehicles using the same platform.
The system developed by Horse Powertrain includes everything in one unit: a combustion engine (which burns fuel), an electric motor, and a transmission (the part that transfers power to the wheels). This unit is designed to replace the front motor in an electric vehicle. What makes it even more interesting is that the engine can run on several types of fuel, including petrol, ethanol, methanol, and modern synthetic fuels, giving carmakers flexibility depending on what is available in each market.
At present, electric and hybrid cars are mostly built on separate production lines. But with Horse Powertrain’s design, manufacturers could build both types of vehicles on the same line, saving time, space, and money. The powertrain can be attached directly to the car’s frame with minimal changes to the vehicle’s existing electrical systems.
Besides this unit, the only major additions would be a fuel tank and an exhaust system. According to the company, the system is also quite flexible in how it works. It can act as a range extender—recharging the car’s battery while driving—or it can power the front wheels by itself. It can also work together with an electric motor on the rear wheels to give the car all-wheel drive capability.
The unit is placed in a front-to-back (east-west) layout and includes all the electronics needed for hybrid vehicles, such as a controller, inverter, DC-to-DC converter, onboard charger, and an 800-volt fast-charging booster.
Although the system is technically feasible for premium electric cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Porsche Taycan, it is more likely that smaller or budget-conscious carmakers would use it. For them, it could be a cost-effective way to turn an electric car into a hybrid without major redesigns or investments in new factories.
Horse Powertrain is officially revealing this system at Auto Shanghai. It expects that cars using this technology will start reaching the market by 2028.
