The HORSE X-Range C15 is a compact range extender, designed to fit into the front compartment of a BEV-native platform or under the rear seats. As a part of Horse Powertrain’s X-Range family, the C15 is part of a group of technologies designed to add hybrid and range-extender capabilities to BEV platforms, allowing automakers to access the benefits of hybrids without having to rethink their production pathways.
History of the C15
The C15 first made its debut at IAA 2025, where it was showcased alongside a suite of technologies that included the HORSE X-Range F15 Direct Drive - another system in the X-range family. You can find out more about it in our article, what is the F15 Direct Drive?
The C15 was envisioned as a compact range extender that can be easily dropped into a BEV. By showcasing it alongside the F15, the display, which has since been taken to the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, provides a full scope of options for BEV to hybrid conversion.
Horse Powertrain Innovation VP Guillaume Tuffier discusses the C15 at the Beijing Auto Show 2026
Read more about why hybrids will stay central to global mobility
What is this technology for?
Range extenders for EVs have been around for most of the 21st and late 20th century, initially becoming popular during the first wave of EV adoption in the early 2000s. Range extenders then fell out of favor during the 2010s as technological advancements enabled pure BEVs, but have more recently made a resurgence as the needs of the market have changed.
When they were first proposed, battery technology was far less advanced, with EVs typically only able to last somewhere between 100 and 200 km without a recharge. Range extenders provided an important boost, allowing early EVs to travel distances acceptable to consumers on a single charge. Since then, battery technology has improved; however, this has produced another problem.
A longer range requires a larger battery, adding weight and affecting efficiency. The range extender allows vehicle manufacturers to offer that extensive range while also reducing the size of the battery.
Within this context, the C15 fills an important role. Many automakers have focused innovations on EVs, with manufacturing plants and vehicle platforms optimized for electrification. Developing ICE vehicles alongside this would require developing and maintaining dual manufacturing capabilities, an expensive and inefficient service.
The C15, along with all the technologies in the X-range family, allows car manufacturers to avoid this problem. At just 500×550×275mm, the C15 is designed to be small and compact, allowing it to be easily fit into the front compartment of a BEV or under the rear seats, installed either vertically or horizontally, with minimal modifications.
What this means is that OEMs can continue to produce EVs and hybrids side by side as they need, catering to a much broader global market. Leveraging economies of scale, the C15 is cost effective, convenient, and highly efficient, utilizing Horse Powertrain’s cutting-edge engine innovations.
The C15's small and compact size allows it to easily fit into the front compartment of a BEV or under the rear seats
Read more about what is a REEV?
How does the C15 work?
The basic concept of a range extender is to act as a kind of charger within the vehicle, providing a steady source of energy that can top up a vehicle's battery. Unlike other forms of hybrids, which power the motion of the vehicle directly, a range extender remains separate from the drive shaft, connected with a generator, to the battery only.
The specific design of the C15 has been engineered such that it can be fitted either horizontally or vertically, giving automakers true flexibility in how it is integrated into an existing BEV-native platform. The 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine produces the combustion power which is converted, via an integrated generator, into the electrical energy the EV battery needs to run.
The whole package comes with an integrated cooling system and exhaust, which means it can be dropped directly into a vehicle with minimal need to add or subtract extra components. For larger vehicles, a turbocharger increases power output, meaning it is suitable for nearly any vehicle size.
Aside from the benefits to the manufacturer, the C15 is also good for the end customer. Because the C15 is not connected to the drive shaft, it allows the vehicle to retain a smooth EV driving experience, without the same range anxiety. As the engine acts as a generator, it is able to operate at its optimal, most efficient rev range at all times, minimizing fuel consumption and emissions.
Read more about what makes up a hybrid powertrain?
The X-Range family
The HORSE X-Range C15 is part of a family of engine systems designed to convert BEVs into hybrids. While the C15 is a specialist range extender product, the F15 Direct Drive and C15 Direct Drive offer full hybrid capabilities, allowing for HEV, PHEV, and REEV conversion. Together, the three systems provide a hybridization toolbox that OEMs can choose from to convert their vehicles.
Find out more about the C15 and the full X-Range series on our product page.
