• HORSE X-Range C15 is an integrated engine-generator unit that allows existing BEV platforms to serve as foundations for range-extended EV models
• System recognized for its engineering and innovative approach to hybridization at the AutoTech Breakthrough Awards

Horse Powertrain, a global leader in innovative and low-emission powertrain systems, has been recognised by AutoTech Breakthough with the Hybrid Technology Solution of the Year Award for its groundbreaking HORSE X-Range C15 powertrain.

The annual AutoTech Breakthrough Awards recognize the year’s top innovations from suppliers, OEMs, and startups operating across the automotive value chain. The awards celebrate breakthroughs at every level, including autonomous driving, cybersecurity, vehicle infrastructure, navigation, and engine technology.  

For 2026, the AutoTech Breakthrough team recognized Horse Powertrain’s HORSE X-Range C15 as the Hybrid Technology Solution of the Year. The HORSE X-Range C15 is the world’s first all-in-one, production-grade range extender that is specifically designed to transform existing BEV platforms into range-extended EVs. It integrates a 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine with a generator, exhaust, and thermal management system – delivering up to 120kW in a compact, flat unit of just 500 × 550 × 275mm. 

Because of its shape and degree of system integration, the HORSE X-Range C15 represents an entirely new powertrain category for automakers – allowing them to flexibly convert an existing BEV platform into a range-extended EV with minimal additional modifications to the wider vehicle. This allows a dramatic reduction in line-up and production complexity, allowing automakers to maximise their return on their EV investments.

Matias Giannini, CEO of Horse Powertrain, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive AutoTech Breakthrough’s Hybrid Technology Solution of the Year award. The HORSE X-Range C15 represents so much of what our company is about: helping OEMs bridge the gap between their future technology ambitions and today’s market realities. By allowing automakers to use their BEV platforms as foundations for range-extender models, the HORSE X-Range C15 allows OEMs to invest in electrification with more confidence than ever before, leveraging our unique full-spectrum expertise around hybrid powertrain technology.”

Bryan Vaughn, Managing Director of AutoTech Breakthrough, said: “By bridging the gap between EV and hybrid technologies in a simple, scalable, and production-ready solution, Horse Powertrain is helping redefine the future of electrified mobility. Many manufacturers are investing heavily in separate EV and hybrid platforms, creating substantial cost and resource burdens. Packaging and integration barriers have limited adoption of range-extender technology, and conventional range extenders are typically engineered into a vehicle from the start. The X-Range C15 enables manufacturers to expand their market reach, reduce development costs, and offer consumers greater choice. This creates an entirely new category of powertrain technology, giving automakers a practical and cost-effective pathway to serve diverse market demands while accelerating electrification”.