Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Geely and Renault, will reveal its Horse C15 family of ultra compact range extender technologies at IAA Mobility in Munich, Germany.
Horse C15 is a compact range extender technology offering within Horse Powertrain’s X-Range family, a category of solutions designed to enrich EV platforms with combustion and hybrid technology.
No larger than a briefcase, Horse C15 integrates an engine, generator, and inverter into a unit compact enough to be fitted within existing battery electric vehicle (BEV) platforms with little to no modification. This allows OEMs to easily and efficiently convert a BEV platform into a range extended EV (REEV), allowing them to expand their product line-ups to meet local market demands.
Featuring a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and an integrated generator, inverter, and cooling package, the Horse C15 range extender measures just 500 x 550 x 275mm in its naturally aspirated version. Horse C15 can be installed horizontally or vertically – allowing the unit to be placed in a BEV’s front compartment or in the rear, unlocking exceptional flexibility in vehicle design.
Matias Giannini, CEO of Horse Powertrain, said: “Range extended EVs are the fastest-growing powertrain category in many global markets. The Horse C15 range extender solution offers OEMs a straightforward and cost-effective way to tap into this opportunity, and adapt their native BEV platforms into REEVs. We believe demand for REEVs will continue to grow. Horse C15 will play a critical role in this transition, as one of the market’s most efficient and flexible REEV solutions to date. It also underlines our commitment and ability to support OEMs in delivering a full range of EVs, hybrids, and combustion platforms.”
Designed for Euro 7 compliance (including China 7 and SULEV20), Horse C15 will be available in naturally aspirated form for B- and C-segment vehicles, with maximum engine power of up to 70kW. For larger D-segment vehicles and LCVs, the addition of a turbocharger increases power output up to 120kW. The unit will be able to run on including gasoline, ethanol and methanol flex fuels, and synthetic fuels.
In all applications, the range extender maintains the charge level of the high-voltage battery, which is used to power the vehicle’s electric drive motor. By using Horse C15, OEMs can reduce the EV battery size, delivering significant savings in cost and weight, and reduced pressure on the critical mineral supply chain – all without impacting range.
Unlike traditional plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) the combustion engine of a REEV never directly drives the vehicle’s wheels; instead, the engine operates in its most efficient rev range, minimizing fuel consumption and emissions, minimizing the noise, vibration, and harshness profile.
Since a REEV uses an electric traction motor to power the wheels, it drives with the same smoothness and responsiveness as a BEV. The vehicle’s battery can also be charged in a similar manner to a BEV, using a public charger or domestic power supply. When used with low-carbon fuels, this means that the cradle-to-grave footprint will be comparable to a BEV.
