Conceived with no concessions to internal combustion propulsion, ‘born electrics’ were heralded as the future. Manufacturers poured millions into their development, and it is estimated that globally $1.2 trillion was committed to the entire EV ecosystem, $500 billion of which was from automakers.
But with global EV sales well below projections, manufacturers are left with hard decisions. The Stellantis group, for instance, confirmed a $26 billion write-off over its EV projects, while Honda said its annual operating loss would be between 270-570 billion yen, due to losses associated with the reassessment of its electrification strategy. Earlier this year, the Japanese carmaker scrapped its much-hyped ‘0 Series’ EV project, though the made-in-India 0 Alpha SUV, which is said to use components from the Elevate, is still on track.
The write-offs and cancellations are understandable in the context of born-electrics, as while there have been many ICE-to-EV conversions, it’s a lot harder the other way around. Conceived with no engine and gearbox in mind, space to accommodate this bulky hardware is the first hurdle they need to clear. There’s also space needed for subsystems like driveshafts, fuel and exhaust systems which leads to the other complication of thermal management. Beyond the exhaust system, internal combustion engines have higher cooling requirements than EVs, and thus airflow management needs to be addressed.
Another challenge is crashworthiness. Again, having never had to hold an engine and gearbox, the crash structure of these cars was never designed with this massive mass in mind. These changes thus require time and expensive re-engineering.
However, tough as it is, some brands are looking at re-engineering born-EVs to use some form of internal combustion. The VW Group is one such example, as is homegrown automaker Mahindra. While it sold about 16,000 EVs in FY2026 – the bulk of them coming from its born-electric line-up – it needs higher volumes given the investments in their development. The Chinese, too, who were very quick with born-electrics, are looking at the ICE switch.
Ice Age 2.0
In this scenario, Horse Powertrain might hold the panacea – the C15 powertrain. Showcased at the Vienna Motor Symposium in April this year, the C15 unit is a compact, all-in-one powertrain designed to replace the electric drive unit of a born-electric and transform it into a range-extender hybrid. The integrated unit consists of a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine, hybrid transmission, electric motor and the full suite of power electronics.
Furthermore, Horse says the unit is modular and can have further systems bolted on, depending on manufacturer requirements, like turbocharging or even a traditional gearbox, should direct-to-wheel drive be required. Adding to its flexibility, the engine can be packaged vertically or even horizontally, and the company says systems like lubrication are capable for either installation type. It can also be located at the front or rear of the vehicle, so as to warrant fewer modifications and re-engineering for a brand. 64 percent of its components are parts from existing powertrains, and this, Horse says, brings down the unit’s cost. So far, there’s no word on when it would come to market, but the brand says work is already underway, and the first model with the C15 unit should see the light of day by 2028.
On the face of it, converting a born-electric to ICE might seem like a retrograde step in the journey towards electrification. However, it’s clear this journey is far longer than previously thought, and a born-electric-to-ICE conversion will certainly help a manufacturer’s business viability in the immediate term. Furthermore, in this scenario of internal combustion living longer, hybridisation helps lowering fuel consumption and emissions. Thus, a retrograde step this might be, but one that can help build the future.
Q&A Jesus Frances Busto – Strategy & RAE Director, Horse Technologies
On the company structure
Horse Powertrain is a joint venture between Renault, Geely and Saudi Aramco, but we are an independent global powertrain supplier. So we can supply, work with, and integrate this (C15) with any manufacturer that is interested in it. It’s part of our new story at Horse Powertrain.
On the C15’s requirement
Brands have invested a lot into born-electric platforms, and many have even got the products ready and out into the market. But yes, they now would need to have an option to cope with this adoption towards EVs, and a hybrid with a range-extender setup is a good possibility for this.
On the C15’s specialities
The C15 solves the problem of space, and we have solved it not by miniaturisation, but with innovative redesign and repackaging. We can install this vertically or even horizontally, and when we do this, one of the points we have to solve is lubrication, so we have a scavenge function circulating oil through and through correctly.
On a market launch
As you would understand, we cannot disclose our clients at the moment or specific launch dates, but we are working with brands, and we should see this in the market by early 2028.
