Horizon Power Attends 38th SIA Powertrain Conference, Advocating Multi-Technology Collaboration for Carbon Reduction

The 38th SIA Powertrain International Conference and Exhibition was held in Lille, France, from June 17 to 18. Dr. Jian Wu, Chief Engineer at Hirsch Powertrain, was invited to attend and delivered a keynote speech titled “Hirsch Powertrain’s Powertrain Evolution for Today and Tomorrow: A Chinese Perspective.” He also participated in the roundtable forum on “Global Powertrain Evolution Toward 2035.” This year’s conference covered the full spectrum of powertrain technologies, addressing applications ranging from urban short-distance mobility to long-haul commercial vehicles and off-road machinery. It attracted leading global OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, including Renault, Stellantis, Volvo, Bosch, Schaeffler, and Valeo. During the roundtable discussion, Dr. Wu emphasized that, for the foreseeable future, battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and highly efficient internal combustion engines (ICEs) compatible with low-carbon fuels will coexist to meet diverse market and user requirements. He stressed that decarbonization goals should not be reduced to a binary choice between ICEs and BEVs; instead, the strengths of each technology should be leveraged according to specific use cases. For instance, combining efficient ICEs with hybrid systems can achieve significant emissions reductions at relatively low societal transition costs, while ICEs powered by sustainable synthetic fuels (e-fuels) hold the potential for near-zero lifecycle emissions. As markets mature, infrastructure develops, and user demands become more pragmatic, industry discussions on the pace and pathways of powertrain transition are increasingly grounded in reality. Participants widely agreed that the global automotive industry is shifting from a phase of “single-technology competition” to one of “multi-path collaborative development,” with the central challenge being how to strike a balance among decarbonization targets, user needs, and commercial sustainability. As a global provider of powertrain solutions, Hirsch Powertrain continues to invest in high-efficiency ICEs, hybrid systems, and new-energy powertrain technologies, offering OEMs worldwide comprehensive solutions tailored to diverse market demands.