Skip to main content

39 million micro-hybrids by 2017

Micro-hybrids will grow nearly eight-fold to 39 million vehicles in 2017 and create a $6.9 billion market for energy storage devices as the fuel-saving alternative technology finds ready adoption, driven by stricter emission standards.
March 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Micro-hybrids will grow nearly eight-fold to 39 million vehicles in 2017 and create a $6.9 billion market for energy storage devices as the fuel-saving alternative technology finds ready adoption, driven by stricter emission standards, according to a 3900 Lux Research report titled, “Every Last Drop: Micro- And Mild Hybrids Drive a Huge Market for Fuel-Efficient Vehicles.”

Micro-hybrids, which use a small battery to provide varying degrees of efficiency-boosting features, will dominate the automotive market, gaining 42 per cent of the overall light-duty vehicle market.

Simultaneously, the mild hybrids — superior to micro-hybrids but not as efficient as pure hybrids — will rise from near-zero to 1.5 million vehicles in 2017, accounting for 1.6 per cent of the auto market.

“Micro-hybrids will take over the automotive market, while mild hybrids will leverage the excessive build-out of Li-ion capacity to grow,” said Kevin See, Lux research analyst and lead author of the report. “Micro-hybrids and, to a lesser extent, mild hybrids, provide a cost-effective solution to fuel savings to bridge the gap to more disruptive technologies like alternative fuels, plug-in vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles.”

To estimate adoption rates for micro-hybrids and mild hybrids, Lux researchers factored in the adoption of other fuel-saving technologies and modelled cost impact variations, besides estimating the costs of battery replacement and maintenance for these alternative vehicles. Among their conclusions:

  • Europe will lead with China and the US in tow. Europe will continue its leadership in the micro-hybrid market, growing over three-fold to 12.6 million units in the next five years. China will see explosive 81 per cent annual growth to reach 8.9 million units in 2017 and the US will zoom from miniscule levels today to over eight million in 2017.

  • Medium micro-hybrids dominate. A low price premium, fuel savings of up to 10 per cent and a relatively easier manufacturing process will propel medium micro-hybrids to the top of the alternative auto market over the next five years. These vehicles will grow at 36 per cent CAGR to 22.2 million vehicles in 2017, driven largely by the European market and automakers like 994 Volkswagen.

  • AGM battery technology will grow nine-fold. Absorbed glass mat (AGM), lead-acid batteries will dominate the market for storage of micro-hybrids, growing at 46per cent annually to nearly $4 billion in 2017. In mild hybrids, Li-ion will carve out a niche, growing from near-zero to nearly $570 million in 2017, capturing a 47 per cent market share among plug-in vehicles.

“Every Last Drop: Micro- And Mild Hybrids Drive a Huge Market for Fuel-Efficient Vehicles,” is part of the Lux Research Electric Vehicles Intelligence service.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Collision avoidance systems market ‘worth US$50.38 billion by 2020’
    December 2, 2015
    New research from MarketsandMarkets claims that the collision avoidance systems market is expected to grow from US$31.19 billion in 2014 to US$50.38 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 7.74 per cent. The report, Collision Avoidance Systems Market by Device, Technology, Application (Automotive, Aerospace, Railway, Marine, and Construction & Mining), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW) - Global Trend & Forecast to 2020, says the market is expected to be driven by the growing focus of consumers
  • Study reveals benefits of electric Beijing taxi fleet
    August 6, 2013
    The impact of introducing plug-in electric vehicles to the streets of Beijing, one of the world’s most polluted cities, has been examined by researchers from the University of Michigan in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology. They use big data mining techniques to understand the impact of fleet electrification. As part of the study, the researchers highlight that while plug-in electric vehicles have developed rapidly in recent years there are still uncertainties with regard to market accepta
  • Investments in autonomous driving are accelerating, says report
    January 7, 2015
    Google and various automakers have increased their activity and investments toward the goal of self-driving vehicles, while Google has shifted from its previous strategy to now focus on fully driverless vehicles for the future. If successful, it will have significant implications for the auto industry, according to IHS Automotive, based on findings in its new report, Autonomous Driving: Question is When, Not If, which is an update to a previous report issued early in 2014. OEMs remain geared toward aug
  • New research predicts growth of autonomous parking technology
    March 9, 2016
    New research by ABI Research forecasts that shipments of new cars featuring autonomous parking technologies to grow at 35 per cent CAGR between 2016 and 2026 and for revenues to likewise show growth at 29.5 per cent CAGR. ABI Research identifies three phases of autonomous parking, with each successive stage set to gradually displace the former and all three coexisting to some degree over the next decade. Ultimately, technology will reach a point in which the car parks itself entirely, with no driver assi