Powertrain Overview

Since the creation of the first modern automobile nearly a century and a half ago, there has been one dominant engine option on the market, the gasoline internal combustion engine. Now the gasoline internal combustion engine has some challengers trying to steal the crown. There have been many different types of engines in the past, but many of them relied solely on fossil fuels to operate.

Recently though, because of increasing fuel economy standards and emission awareness, a new breed of engines is emerging, many relying on electricity and other fuel sources to aid in powering the vehicle. With these new power plants comes a new set of rules and warnings on how to repair them. A lot of collision technicians have an idea about how some of the new powertrains work, but not a full understanding of what is going on under the hood. It is important to understand the inner workings of the engine in order to safely and properly diagnose and repair them after a collision. To help with that, the RTS team has written several articles on different powertrains to assist with understanding the ever-changing technology that is being implemented into the automotive industry.

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