Horse Powertrain e Repsol hanno presentato il HORSE H12 Concept, un propulsore ibrido ad altissima efficienza alimentato al 100% da benzina rinnovabile. La base di partenza del progetto é il motore HR 12 attuale (1.2 L3) che grazie a innovazioni tecnologiche e lubrificanti avanzati, il raggiunge un'efficienza termica del 44,2%, riducendo i consumi del 40% (sotto i 3,3 l/100 km).

L'uso di carburanti rinnovabili permette di abbattere le emissioni di CO_2 di 1,77 tonnellate l'anno per veicolo rispetto ai combustibili tradizionali.

Horse Powertrain and Repsol jointly develop a highly efficient hybrid powertrain running on 100% renewable gasoline

MON, FEB 16, 2026 11:18 CETReport this content

• The next-generation HORSE H12 Concept hybrid engine, using Repsol’s 100% renewable fuel, boosts efficiency and reduces vehicle fuel consumption by 40% to below 3.3 liters per 100 kilometers1

• Using Repsol’s 100% renewable fuel, a mid-size vehicle equipped with this engine emits 1.77 tons of CO₂ per year less than a similar vehicle with traditional powertrain and fuel1, 2

• The highly efficient engine is designed in Spain, in collaboration between Horse Technologies, a division of Horse Powertrain, and Repsol, achieving 44.2% peak brake thermal efficiency

• The project demonstrates that European industrial innovation can deliver near-term CO2 emissions reduction solutions

• A technology-neutral European regulatory framework helps to accelerate the transport sector's transition to net zero

Madrid, Spain (16 February 2026) – Horse Powertrain, via its Horse Technologies division, and Repsol have unveiled a next-generation hybrid powertrain that achieves ultra-high efficiency and low fuel consumption, operating on 100% renewable gasoline.

 

The HORSE H12 Concept engine introduces enhancements to the combustion system and reductions in internal losses, achieving 44.2% peak brake thermal efficiency (BTE) while reducing vehicle fuel consumption by 40% (in comparison with 2023 average passenger car new registration in Europe)1 to below 3.3 liters per 100 kilometers, according to standardized European testing (WLTP).

 

Maximizing efficiency directly results in lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions in equal proportions. When using the 100% renewable fuel, a mid-sized car equipped with the HORSE H12 Concept powertrain and driving an average of 12,500 kilometers per year, will emit 1.77 tons of CO₂ per year less than a vehicle with a traditional fuel and combustion engine.1, 2

 

The hybrid powertrain system incorporates the HORSE H12 Concept engine, an evolution of the HR12 engine that includes an innovative combustion system designed at a 17:1 compression ratio, a new-generation exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR), an optimized turbocharger, a high-energy ignition system, and an improved hybrid gearbox with optimized energy management, as well as reduced internal friction enabled by new Repsol lubricants.

 

The project, led by teams from the Horse Technologies Division in Valladolid and the Repsol Technology Lab in Madrid, has produced its first two prototypes and validated performance. The first demonstrator vehicle is expected to be presented in early 2026. This is the first step towards industrial production of highly-efficient hybrid engines.

 

This project contributes to the mobility sector’s transition to net zero, applying the principle of technology neutrality, and demonstrates how innovation can provide near-term CO2reduction solutions.

 

More than 97% of Europe’s current vehicle parc (ACEA) is still combustion-based, so delivering solutions capable of reducing CO2 emissions today - such as highly efficient engines and alternative fuels - play a complementary role alongside electrification, hydrogen, and other emerging technologies on the road to mobility net zero.

 

For these solutions to scale, it is essential that the current revision of CO₂ standards for light-duty vehicles includes a clear, long-term framework. It should recognize the role of highly efficient engines powered by renewable fuels in road-transport decarbonization, ensuring a technology-neutral approach beyond 2035 to support innovation and necessary industrial investments.

 

Luis Cabra, Executive Managing Director of Energy Transition, Technology, Institutional Affairs and Deputy CEO of Repsol, states: “This collaboration shows that decarbonization can be accelerated through innovative and accessible technological solutions. The use of 100% renewable fuels is a net zero emission solution, complementary to electric vehicles, for decarbonizing the transport sector. Supporting clear and ambitious regulation that drives investment in renewable fuels and highly efficient engines is essential for Europe to reduce transport emissions faster in a more competitive and effective manner.”

 

Patrice Haettel, Chief Operating Officer at Horse Powertrain and Chief Executive Officer at Horse Technologies, adds:“The HORSE H12 Concept is an example of how highly efficient engines and renewable fuels can reduce emissions today, without waiting for future solutions. As a company, we believe that relying on a single technology is not the fastest way to cut emissions. This is why we advocate a technology neutral approach that enables innovation across all solutions - electric, hybrid, range extenders and low-carbon fuels.”

 

In October, Repsol achieved a technological milestone by producing gasoline of 100% renewable origin at industrial scale at its Tarragona facility. This new product is compatible with existing gasoline vehicles, with no modifications required. Nexa 95, Repsol's highest-quality 95-octane renewable gasoline, is already available at 30 service stations in Spain.

 

The company also offers renewable diesel at close to 1,500 service stations in Spain and Portugal, making it the largest distribution network of renewable fuels in Europe.

 

Repsol is the leading producer of renewable fuels in the Iberian Peninsula with the first industrial plant dedicated to the production of 100% renewable fuels from waste, in Cartagena (Spain). The company will start operations at a second plant in Puertollano in 2026. Additionally, Repsol will also launch a demonstrator e-fuels plant in Bilbao in 2026.

Ottima direzione!

Da quel che leggo parla anche di trasmissione ibrida, quindi con powertrain intende un pacchetto completo piuttosto che il singolo motore.

6 ore fa, __P scrive:

powertrain running on 100% renewable gasoline

E dove saltano fuori le quantità necessarie di questi carburanti renewwable? Dove sono gli ingenti investimenti necessari nelle infrastrutture per rendere questa tecnologia una realtà su larga scala? Bello un propulsore cosi, ma senza il volume sul mercato dei carburanti non serve molto.

dovrebbe esserci Renault dietro giusto?

1 ora fa, Tony ramirez scrive:

dovrebbe esserci Renault dietro giusto?

Horse Powertrain è la joint venture tra Renault e Geely.

Che sia un ibrido con PSD?

49 minuti fa, maxsona scrive:

Che sia un ibrido con PSD?

Toyota Prius - Power Split Device (PSD)

The Toyota Prius is packed with some pretty high-tech stuff, but at the heart of the Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) is a simple little device called the Power Split Device, or PSD. The PSD is a planetary gear set that removes the need for a traditional stepped gearbox and transmission components, and also the familiar rev-lurch-rev-lurch of acceleration in an ordinary gas powered car. It acts as a continuously variable transmission (CVT) but with a fixed gear ratio.

If you have no mathematical or mechanical understanding of hybrid technology or even regular engine components, this will help you get a feel for how the PSD allows the car to use power from an internal combustion engine (ICE), as well as 2 electric Motor/Generators (MG1 and MG2), all spinning at different and variable speeds. The PSD even allows the smaller of the two Motor/Generators, MG1, to act as a starter for the ICE, thereby eliminating another component of a traditional gasoline engine.

The model below allows you vary the speed of both the ICE, and MG2. MG2 is the larger of the 2 electric motor/generators and is also referred to as the traction motor because its speed (RPM, or revolutions per minute) has a fixed relationship to the speed of the wheels. Dragging the MG2 slider, you'll see that the speedometer changes, while changing the speed of the ICE does not directly affect speed. Once you master that concept you'll start to see how the CVT function works. The ICE can spin faster or slower, depending on how much power is needed, and with either resistance or assistance from the electric motors the car can reach the desired speed while always keeping the ICE running at the most efficient rate possible.

Rotation speeds of MG1, MG2, and ICE are inter-dependent, and the speed of MG1 will always change when you vary the speed of either of the other 2. MG1 has a maximum rate of 10,000rpm in either direction (positive or negative) with a software limit of 6500 RPM if ICE is off. Using the model below, you can see for yourself why this software limit means the ICE will always spin if you're travelling above 42mph. And in case you were curious, yes MG1 can and often does change spin directions under normal driving conditions.

ICE rotation is limited to speeds between 1000rpm and 4500rpm. It can also stop completely, but anything between 0 and 1000 will force the slider up or down. That's because the internal combustion engine can't operate effectively below that speed. The hybrid computer knows, and will stop the ICE when it decides you don't need to use any gas, and start it again when you need more power, or higher speed from MG1.