Mazda scores gong for hydro rotary

Mazda has picked up the International Association for Hydrogen Energy's (IAHE) Sir William Grove Award for its hydrogen rotary engine.

The award went to the Japanese company to acknowledge its push to commercial viability of the world's first hydrogen rotary engine vehicles, which have pioneered the commercial debut of hydrogen as an internal combustion fuel, alongside BMW's Hydrogen 7.

But unlike the Bavarian luxury sedan, whose presence remains largely restricted to brand-building novelty status under the helmsmanship of high-profilers like Jay Leno, Mazda has pressed to ready vehicles like its Premacy Hydrogen RE for market acceptance, on home turf and through Norway's HyNor pilot project.

The company has been working with hydrogen, through both combustion and fuel-cell channels, for nigh on two decades. It has been running hydrogen rotary engine testing programs in Japan since gaining government approval to take an RX-8 Hydrogen RE (pictured) on to public roads in 2004. By 2006 it was running limited commercial leasing of the vehicle in Japan, which continues to this day.

In 2007, it signed an agreement 2007 to supply Norway's HyNor pilot project with RX-8 Hydrogen REs. Validation testing began on public roads in Norway in 2008 using an RX-8 Hydrogen RE, and Mazda went live with commercial leasing of its Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid last year.

The IAHE was convened to foster the growth of hydrogen energy through academic and technological channels. It presents five biannual awards to researchers or organizations that have made significant contributions in areas related to hydrogen energy. The awards are presented during the World Hydrogen Energy Conference (WHEC), the world's largest international conference on hydrogen energy and hosted by the IAHE hosts.

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