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

  • Highways England is performing well but has areas for improvement, finds regulator
    July 21, 2017
    The Annual Assessment of Highways England’s Performance by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has found that the company is performing well against most of its performance targets. ORR says however that continued improvement is needed to plan when work takes place throughout the year. ORR, which is the official Monitor of Highways England, found that the company is meeting its targets to keep traffic flowing while delivering its programme of major improvements. It is continuing to focus on improving safety a
  • Five million fleet management systems in Europe by 2015
    April 23, 2012
    According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was two million in Q4-2010. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.7 per cent, this number is expected to reach five million by 2015.
  • Road safety market worth US$3.63 billion by 2020
    December 22, 2015
    According to a new market research report, Road Safety Market by Solution (Red Light Enforcement, Speed Enforcement, Incident Detection Systems, Bus Lane Compliance, Automatic License Plate Recognition), by Service, by Region - Global Forecast to 2020, published by MarketsandMarkets, the size of the road safety market is estimated to grow from US$2.35 billion in 2015 to US$3.63 billion by 2020, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1 per cent. With an increase in the number of road fatality rate, the
  • The Asia-Pacific poses a multitude of ITS challenges
    May 30, 2014
    The Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand, provided a focus for the region’s ITS Associations. Mary Bell reports. In late April, ITS New Zealand hosted the 13th Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland. Around 350 delegates from 24 nations gathered to share and advance ITS applications on both strategic and technical levels and to discuss the differing and various challenges faced in the region.