48V mild hybrid cars are appearing in great variety from small economy versions to a 2020 Ferrari. There will be more 48V pickup trucks and SUVs arriving. They prove to be an excellent and easy adaptation of existing designs to keep them legal in the face of tightening emissions regulations. They even provide significant gains in fuel economy, but it does not stop there.
Faster than previously anticipated by some in the industry, 48V full hybrid versions for cars, buses and trucks are being prepared that are a fraction of the cost of the high voltage versions currently offered. That means powertrains providing pure electric drive, engine off - leaving, creeping in traffic, active coasting, silent parking.
As the report explains, today's full hybrids are now under severe pressure from two directions. Engine-dominant parallel and series-parallel hybrids will lose to the quieter, lower cost 48V full hybrids. Battery-dominant series hybrids like the LEVC London taxi and the BMW i3 range extender version will hand over to rapidly-improving pure electric options. Only this report looks at the big picture. Meanwhile, the 48V mild hybrid car is proving a bridge to 48V mild hybrid trucks and buses. Forecasting by extrapolation does not work anymore. New categories are arriving."