According to French hybrid engine parts supplier Valeo, mild hybrid vehicles will make up over 25% of all cars worldwide in the year 2026.
The statement was made earlier this week by the company’s innovation director, Guillaume Devauchelle, as reported by Autonews. Valeo manufactures electric devices that assist the combustion engine in mild hybrids, allowing them to reduce overall carbon emissions – this being one of the technology’s selling points.
Devauchelle thinks that the number of cars running on these types of mild-hybrid powertrain configurations will reach 27 million in 2026. He also said that cars running either entirely or just partly on gasoline will remain “the majority for a long time”, because the transition to fully-electric models will be a gradual one.
Compared to regular hybrids or even plug-in hybrids, mild-hybrid vehicles require less extra parts, which means that automakers can keep the weight down. The flip side of that is that you don’t save as much fuel as with a full hybrid design, and you don’t get high levels of regenerative braking.
So while efficiency is not as high as with full-hybrid cars, plenty of automakers have still invested in mild-hybrid technology – including major players such as brands from the VW Group, Daimler, Hyundai, Kia and others.
Valeo is one of the world’s top suppliers and has sold $19.3 billion’s worth of original-equipment automotive parts in 2017.
