Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles (and even to Internal Combustion Engines!)
original blog post by @orhan_atabay, June 15, 2020
Estimated reading time: 2-3 minutes
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have complex powertrain architectures that some automotive industry customers have been pursuing for many years.
For some customers, HEVs are products employing impressive technologies that go beyond the state-of-the-art.
HEVs are difficult and laborious to develop, even with a large team of engineers. Some hybrid vehicle powertrain architectures were, and some still are, protected by patents for many years.
Regardless of the type of hybrid powertrain (series, parallel, power-split, etc.), at least one electric motor and one battery are required, in addition to the internal combustion engine and fuel tank. In some HEV sub-categories, the number of electric motors can be more than one. The gearbox in a HEV can be either simpler or more complex than a conventional gearbox. On the software side, many functionalities must be added along with comprehensive algorithms.
What does this mean for the customer?
For most models, the final product, i.e., the vehicle itself, is more complex, more expensive, and heavier than a conventional vehicle.
What does this mean for the automotive industry?
More business branches, more employment, more R&D, and bigger budgets.
Do customers benefit from these hybrid electric vehicles? How about our planet?
In my opinion, they do not.
To prove this point, we should look at some actual numbers. We should conduct a thorough literature review and simulate all vehicle types across countries using life cycle analysis (LCA). Hybrid powertrains would prove to be useful, especially in countries such as the USA, Canada, and Australia, where big internal combustion engines are quite common, as they would reduce engine sizes to some extent.
An important advantage of hybrid vehicle technologies is de-localizing exhaust gas emissions and noise. We can glide silently into and out of our neighbourhoods using the electric part of our powertrain. Similar advantages can also be achieved in marine vessel hybrid powertrain applications, which have been introduced into the market in the last few years.
Many fans of HEV do like the boost and recuperation abilities leading to better acceleration and regaining of some of the brake energy. However, energy recuperation efficiency is very low.
Everyone in the industry can admit that the real innovation that will bring about a change for everyone lies in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) using renewable (or at least low-carbon) energy. What I mean is we must stop burning fossil fuels in our vehicles ASAP.
HEVs are seen as intermediate products to be used while transitioning to BEVs. Did the industry need this exercise for more than 20 years before finally switching to BEVs?
No.
The most successful EV manufacturer of today, Tesla, has no experience in building HEVs!
HEVs are designed and sold as a business model!
In terms of greenhouse gas problems, we have lost too much time keeping the internal combustion engine (ICE) in our vehicles.
Internal combustion engines burn the oxygen we breathe.
Even the relatively inefficient fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) could be a better option if the energy used for hydrogen production can be generated using renewable sources, but FCEV has other disadvantages (like low efficiency), which can be the subject of another post.
Saying goodbye to old friends is exceedingly difficult, but the time to say farewell to our old friend “internal combustion engine” has come. It is an old friend, but unfortunately, it was not a good friend of ours.
Below is the Chatgpt-created article with the same title and sections in 2025. And here is my prompt to create it:
"I want to create a blog post for my website titled "Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles (and even to Internal Combustion Engines!)". I would argue that the hybrid electric vehicles are too complex to design, manufacture and maintain, and they can't be a bridging technology for battery electric vehicles. Further, I want to argue that both the industry and the customers lose valuable time to catch the emission targets and to mitigate climate change. I plan to end the article with thoughts that the time to say goodbye to internal combustion engines has come long before, and it is time for a change to the electrification of transportation, which allows us to use renewable energy. A 2-3 minute article would be nice. I have time, do your best. "
Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles (and even to Internal Combustion Engines!)
ChatGPT, April 25, 2025
Estimated reading time: 2-3 minutes
We’ve had our time with internal combustion engines (ICEs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) were once hailed as a clever stepping stone. But in 2025, it’s time to face the truth: hybrids are no longer the future—they’re a detour. And internal combustion? Its time is long past due.
Hybrids: Complexity Disguised as Progress
Hybrid vehicles combine the worst of both worlds: the mechanical complexity of a gasoline engine with the added technical and environmental baggage of an electric drivetrain. They require intricate engineering, dual powertrains, and more moving parts—translating to higher costs in manufacturing, maintenance, and repair. For drivers, this means more things to service, more potential breakdowns, and ultimately, more emissions over the vehicle’s lifecycle.
We often hear hybrids are a “bridge” to full electrification. But bridges are meant to connect, not delay. And that’s exactly what hybrids are doing—delaying meaningful progress. They offer marginal gains in fuel economy but keep us tethered to fossil fuels and outdated infrastructure.
Time Lost is Climate Lost
Every year we spend promoting, buying, and maintaining hybrids is a year we don’t fully invest in the real solution: battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Every hybrid built is one less fully electric vehicle on the road. And in a world racing to meet emission targets and avoid catastrophic climate tipping points, we simply don’t have time for half-measures.
The continued support of ICEs and hybrids risks locking us into fossil fuel dependency even longer. It diverts resources from scaling up clean energy infrastructure and building the charging networks we truly need. The longer we stall, the steeper the climb.
A Clean Break for a Clean Future
Battery electric vehicles aren’t perfect, but they are a clear leap forward. They’re mechanically simpler, cheaper to maintain, and—when powered by renewables—emit no tailpipe pollution. Electrification of transport opens the door to a truly sustainable, circular energy system, one where solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectricity fuel our journeys instead of oil rigs and refineries.
The transition won’t be easy, but it is necessary. And it’s happening. What we need now is the collective will to accelerate—not compromise.
So let’s say it loud: goodbye to hybrids, and goodbye to combustion engines. Their time has passed. The future is electric—and it’s already here.
This article was created by ChatGPT. 🌱