CREDIT: HORSE POWERTRAIN
Horse Powertrain debuted as a single consolidated organization, as well as officially revealing its Future Hybrid Concept, at Auto Shanghai 2025. The company was formed in May 2024 as an equal joint venture between Renault Group (45% ownership) and Geely (45%), inheriting the combustion and hybrid powertrain production units of both organizations, with a 10% investment from Aramco in December 2024.
The newly consolidated company consists of two divisions, Aurobay Technologies, with regional offices in Sweden and China, and Horse Technologies, with a regional office in Spain, with the global headquarters based in London, United Kingdom. Its Future Hybrid Concept is a hybrid powertrain designed to accelerate the industry’s transition to net zero. It integrates an internal combustion engine (ICE), electric motor, and transmission into a single, compact unit.
This new powertrain allows automakers to hybridize battery electric vehicle (BEV) platforms to meet changing customer demand, as well as eliminating the need for multiple platforms and production lines.
The lightweight, modular powertrain fits within existing BEV platforms and serves as a range extender to the existing battery, with its transmission and driveshafts enabling all-wheel drive operation both in EV and parallel modes.
The Future Hybrid Concept can be powered by a range of fuel types including gasoline, ethanol flex fuels, pure methanol, and modern synthetic fuels.
“Horse Powertrain is focused on solving the biggest problems facing automotive OEMs,” says Matias Giannini, CEO at Horse Powertrain. “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.
“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 plans for the first vehicles using the Future Hybrid Concept to reach the roads as early as 2028.
Future Hybrid Concept consolidates the complex hybrid powertrain component stack into one compact unit, achieving significant system integration efficiencies. By eliminating most of the tooling and unique assembly steps required for hybrid system assembly and installation, the architecture also saves significant resources for OEMs planning for mixed propulsion production on the same line.
“The Future Hybrid Concept is designed as a single-piece combustion engine, motor, and transmission unit, reducing the complexity of a hybrid powertrain,” says Ragnar Burenius, chief engineer of xHEV systems at Horse Powertrain. “This allows more flexibility for its packaging, allowing for it to be integrated in existing BEV platforms with minimal modifications to the vehicle.”
The compact size and geometry of the powertrain concept has been designed to replace the front electric drive unit of a BEV. Requiring only minor modifications, the powertrain bolts directly to the vehicle’s subframe, allowing OEMs to offer hybrid models on BEV platforms without having to commit to significant redesigns. It can also fit a traditional combustion vehicle platform.
Fitted in an East/West orientation, Future Hybrid Concept has a slimline top with a wider profile at the bottom, designed to ensure compliance with global safety and crash standards. It also features the power electronics systems required for an efficient hybrid powertrain, containing a controller, inverter, DC/DC converter, and on-board charger. It includes an 800V charging booster for fast charging.
Future Hybrid Concept has been designed to be used and operated anywhere in the world. It features a pre-chamber ignition system that supports a range of fuels, including gasoline, E85 ethanol flex fuels (an established fuel in South America), M100 methanol fuel (a rapidly growing alternative fuel in China, India, and sub-Saharan Africa), and synthetic fuels.
The powertrain concept also anticipates numerous environmental and product design standards, with its compact packaging accommodating next-generation automotive heat pumps and the use of R290 refrigerants.
Horse Powertrain’s comprehensive product range across the hybrid and combustion component stack, along with its expertise in full-powertrain integration, satisfies 80% of market requirements. This is achieved through a global footprint of 17 manufacturing plants, five R&D centers, and 19,000 employees.