Market overview of hybrid powertrain technologies for wheeled and tracked vehicles: trends and challenges

The paper presents a comprehensive review of current trends and challenges related to the development of hybrid power units (HPU) in the transport industry. The paper discusses the main types of hybrid systems for wheeled and tracked vehicles, features of their architectures and principles of operation, with a focus on technical, environmental and economic aspects. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of battery technologies, energy management systems, and recycling issues. The authors emphasize the key challenges of the industry: battery degradation, high component costs, dependence on climatic conditions, and others. The review also contains a comparative analysis of solutions from the world’s leading manufacturers. In addition, promising trends are discussed, including the development of solid-state batteries, the introduction of artificial intelligence, and the development of wireless charging. Special attention is paid to analyzing the value chain of hybrid power units. The uniqueness of this review lies in the systematic approach to analyzing the HPU market, combining technical, economic and regulatory perspectives. The paper can be useful for both transportation and energy professionals and researchers involved in sustainable development and implementation of innovative technologies in the transport sector.