Mazda rotary to return as EV range-extender

It’s official: Mazda has committed to releasing its first two electric vehicles in 2020 -- and one of them will employ the Japanese brand’s trademark rotary engine to act as a range-extending power generator.

Sadly, there’s no confirmation of a born-again RX sports car that drives its rear wheels with a high-performance turbocharged twin-rotor SKYACTIV-R engine equipped with HCCI compression ignition to deliver 350kW … but we still live in hope the sexy 2015 RX VISION concept will morph into the all-new RX-9 Coupe in 2020 – Mazda’s centenary year.

Then again, given the 50th anniversary of Mazda rotary engines came and went last year without much fanfare, and the company has remained without a rotary-powered sports car since the RX-8 was discontinued in 2012, we’re not holding our breath.

Nevertheless, some rotary fans should be happy to hear Mazda has promised to return the Wankel engine to production within two years, even if it only powers an electric car and even if it won’t directly drive its wheels.

“Mazda will launch its first Electric Vehicles (EV) in 2020 as part of its 'Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030' long-term technology development programme,” said the company in a statement today.

“Mazda will initially launch two battery EVs. One powered solely by battery, the other pairing a battery with Mazda's small, lightweight and exceptionally quiet rotary engine as a range-extender.

“The range-extender will recharge the battery when necessary to increase the vehicle's driving range, eliminating the range anxiety which continues to trouble a high percentage of battery EV users.”

In typical Mazda fashion, details remain sketchy about the actual EVs it plans to launch in 2020, but they should not be confused with the all-new ‘CX-X’ or 'CX-10' electric SUV that Mazda will produce post-2021 in a $2 billion joint-venture factory with Toyota in the US.

The future Mazda EVs will, however, be produced as part of another joint-venture announced in September 2017 by Mazda, Toyota and Denso to develop electric vehicles on a new EV platform in a partnership called EV Common Architecture Spirit Company (EVCAS).

It’s understood Toyota, which owns 90 per cent of EVCAS, will lead the project and both Japanese car-makers’ common EV architecture will start life as Toyota’s latest TNGA global platform.

EVCAS has already stated it will employ next-generation solid-state batteries by early 2020, enabling faster charging and a longer driving range.

Mazda previously announced it would produce its first EV in 2019 and Toyota was expected to launch its own pure-electric car around the same time. It appears the development of both models is running late.

As for the Mazda EV, we understand it will be all-new model not based on any existing Mazda vehicle, offering the choice of all-electric or range-extender powertrains – much like the BMW i3 -- as indicated by a report from March this year.

Mazda has promised to electrify every model in its range by 2030 and is expected to offer plug-in hybrid versions of its existing models, starting with the upcoming new Mazda3 with SKYACTIV-X HCCI technology, as part of its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 commitment to cut its corporate average ‘well-to-wheel' CO2 emissions to 50 per cent of 2010 levels by 2030.

“Expecting that internal combustion engines combined with some form of electrification will account for 95% of the vehicles it produces in 2030 (with battery electric vehicles accounting for the remaining 5%), Mazda will continue to focus on maximising the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, as exemplified by its new, new-generation SKYACTIV-X petrol engine, which combusts through compression ignition,” it said.

But the rotary range-extender EV will see Mazda return to being the only car-maker with a Wankel engine in production.

Mazda has already proved the concept of a shoebox-sized single-rotor engine acting as a generator in an EV prototype based on the Mazda2, and Audi toyed with the same idea in its A3 e-tron but later switched to a conventional engine/generator.

“The rotary engine's small size and high power output make multiple electrification technology solutions possible via a shared packaging layout,” said Mazda, which added that the EV’s rotary range-extender would also run on LPG.

“Taking advantage of the rotary engine’s compatibility with gaseous fuels, the rotary-powered range extender is designed to also burn liquefied petroleum gas and provide a source of electricity in emergencies.

“Mazda hopes to further the contributions of its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 vision to society by sending EVs with the range-extender to areas affected by natural disasters, providing LPG-generated electricity for those in need.”

Most crucially for Australian EV and/or rotary fans, however, Mazda made it clear its first electric vehicle won’t be sold in countries that generate large amounts of electricity from coal-fired power stations like ours.

“Mazda is committed to reducing its corporate average 'Well-to-Wheel' CO2 emissions to 50% of 2010 levels by 2030, and to 90% by 2050,” it said.

“But the company is also committed to the principal of the right solution at the right time and -- since energy availability and automotive power source fitness vary from region to region -- in the right place.

“Clearly, the electric power generation system in any given region determines how much an EV can contribute to well-to-wheel' reductions in CO2 emissions. And with CO2-emitting thermal power generation still globally predominant, a goal to reduce those emissions is likely to diversify fuel options in the immediate future.”