- Horse’s new 2.0-liter turbo engine meets tough IPX8 waterproofing standards.
- It makes up 188-248 hp, can work underwater and climb 100 percent grades.
- Horse co-founder Geely has already fitted the engine to a Chinese-market SUV.
Electric motors and water usually make uneasy bedfellows, but most combustion engines aren’t exactly fond of swimming either. Horse Powertrain, though, thinks it has an answer for hybrid off-roaders that want to take a dip. The company’s new B20 is a waterproof engine that can keep running while submerged in up to 42 inches (1.1 m) of water.
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The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder combustion engine is designed specifically for HEVs, PHEVs and range-extender EVs, making between 188 and 248 hp (190-252 PS) depending on spec. Torque ranges from 221 to 280 lb-ft (300-380 Nm), while the whole thing weighs a relatively modest 287 lbs (130 kg).
Related: This Is How Horse Is Keeping The Combustion Engine Alive
But more interesting than the its power rating is its IPX8 waterproof rating. Horse, which was founded in 2024 by Renault and Geely, has fitted the B20 with sealed electrical components and sensors, plus dedicated sealing between the engine and transmission.
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When the engine detects that it’s underwater, its control system can automatically alter throttle response or limit power depending on conditions. That should help it keep running and prevent your ambitious river crossing into a call to the coastguard when your SUV eventually washes out to sea.
The engine’s almost as clever on land. Horse says it can cope with 100 percent grades, meaning a slope that climbs one meter vertically for every meter traveled horizontally. That’s a 45-degree incline, the kind of ascent only the most extreme production SUVs can tackle.
More Efficient Than A Prius Engine
And it’s incredibly efficient. The Miller-cycle engine – which keeps the intake valve open on the start of the compression stroke – uses direct injection, specially designed pistons and high-tumble intake ports to achieve a claimed 48.4 percent thermal efficiency. That compares with around 25-30 percent for most straight ICE engines and 40 percent for the Miller-cycle engine in Toyota’s Prius. An active dual-cooling system is designed to keep temperatures under control during prolonged climbing and other high-load situations.
This isn’t all theoretical, either, or an engineering exercise that might only see production 10 years down the line. The B20 was first shown at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year and has already appeared in the Chinese-market Geely Galaxy Cruiser 700 (below). There it forms part of a plug-in hybrid system paired with Horse’s three-speed hybrid transmission.
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