Growing environmental concerns and subsequent legislation has driven automotive OEMs to develop more efficient, fueleconomic and alternative technology powertrains. In response to this, Lotus Engineering and Proton Holdings Bhd recently embarked on an innovative R&D project to develop a hybrid solution that would deliver up to 22% CO2 reduction in emissions which could be integrated into current vehicle models.

“The application of hybrid technology is a key route for CO2 emissions reductions. For the next five years it may remain more viable to integrate hybrid technologies into existing model ranges than to develop expensive new dedicated hybrid platforms” explains Darren Blake, Principal Engineer – Powertrain Design.

The ‘EVE Hybrid’ project demonstrates to Automotive OEMs how they can include lower emission variants to existing model ranges with minimal development time and cost; overcoming many of the challenges associated with integrating hybrid technology. The ‘EVE Hybrid’ project was undertaken by a cross-functional team of Lotus and Proton engineers at Hethel, UK and Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur.