Mazda: Comeback of the rotary engine?
FUTURE Compared to 2010, Mazda aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and by 90 percent by 2050 with wheel-to-wheel. The rotary engine will also be used as a range extender. In its 100th anniversary year, Mazda is launching the "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030" development program. Drive systems with electric, gasoline and diesel [...]
In its 100th anniversary year, Mazda is launching the "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030" development program.
Drives with electric, gasoline and diesel
The brand is adopting a multi-solution approach to the development of new drive concepts, taking into account not only pure electric drives but also highly efficient, electrified gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines.
These include, for example, the Skyactiv-X engine, which operates with a particularly lean homogeneous mixture, and the current diesel engine, which is operated with spark-controlled compression ignition.
Hybrid system with Skyactiv-G gasoline engine
The standard Mazda M hybrid system generates electrical energy during deceleration and stores it in a battery. This energy is then used to relieve the burden on the combustion engine during acceleration or to generate the on-board power supply.
The hybrid system is also used in models combined with the high-compression Skyactiv-G gasoline engine.
Six-cylinder engines for larger models
The Japanese also plan to develop a new large platform with longitudinally installed inline six-cylinder engines for the larger models, which will be available as both gasoline and diesel versions. The diesel variant is a newly developed generation of the Skyactiv D diesel engine.
The gasoline variants will use the SPCCI combustion process, among other things. The new combustion engines will also be electrically supported by a hybrid system. The manufacturer from Hiroshima is also holding out the prospect of a plug-in hybrid variant. Drive will be provided either to the rear wheels or to all four wheels.
Variant with quiet Wankel engine being planned
For the new MX-30, Mazda opted for a different approach, "rightsizing" the battery. In this approach, an electric vehicle should achieve a CO2 advantage in the medium-term electricity mix even at low total mileages thanks to a sufficiently powerful and lightweight high-voltage battery.
For customers who need more range, Mazda has announced a variant of the Mazda MX-30 in which a small, lightweight and quiet Wankel engine together with a connected generator can be used to recharge the battery while driving.
More efficient extension of the ranges
Technology Development Director Christian Schultze: "In the further variant of the MX-30 confirmed for the first half of 2022, the rotary engine will be connected directly to a generator for power generation as part of a serial hybrid system and will operate at constant, low speeds as a lightweight and efficient range extender. I could envision a real revival for the rotary engine once the hydrogen infrastructure is in place, because it's a perfect engine for in-engine combustion of hydrogen."
