- AI-integrated powertrain to debut across core models this year
- Automaker pushes hybrid tech amid intensifying efficiency race
Geely Auto Group yesterday unveiled a new gasoline-electric hybrid system integrating AI into vehicle powertrains, as the leading Chinese automaker step up efforts to improve fuel efficiency and performance in conventional hybrid vehicles.
The system, branded i-HEV, combines an internal combustion engine with an electric drive architecture and is designed to optimize energy use through data-driven control across the vehicle’s operating conditions.
Geely said the new system can achieve fuel consumption as low as 2.22 liters per 100 kilometers under test conditions, alongside an engine thermal efficiency of 48.41%—figures that would place it among the highest reported for mass-produced hybrid systems.
Conventional gasoline engines typically operate at around 30%–35% thermal efficiency, while leading hybrid systems from Toyota and peers reach about 40%–41%.
Some newer Chinese models, including those from BYD and Geely, claim peak efficiencies above 43%.
The company, however, did not disclose independent verification details beyond citing domestic certification.
The hybrid setup uses a dual-motor configuration and a high-rate battery designed to keep the engine operating within its most efficient range, while software systems coordinate power delivery.
The platform is also built on an upgraded electronic and electrical architecture intended to support higher data throughput and cloud connectivity.
The technology will be rolled out across several of Geely’s key models this year, including sedans and SUVs in its “Geely Star” lineup, as the company seeks to expand its hybrid offerings alongside battery-electric vehicles to compete with global hybrid auto giants such as Toyota, Hyundai and Honda.
Over the past decade, Geely has maintained a multi-path strategy spanning electric, hybrid and alternative fuels such as hydrogen and methanol, positioning hybrids as a bridge technology in markets where charging infrastructure remains uneven.
