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Mazda May Revive Rotary Engine for Range-Extender Role
Mazda Motor Corp. has unveiled an electric car prototype fitted with a tiny rotary engine-powered generator to extend driving range.
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Mazda Motor Corp. has unveiled an electric car prototype fitted with a tiny rotary engine-powered generator to extend driving range.
The test vehicle, a Mazda2 five-door hatch, is powered by a 75-kW front-drive electric motor. The car includes a 0.33-liter rotary engine that is used exclusively to recharge the car's lithium-ion battery. Mazda says the system, dubbed RE Range Extender, approximately doubles the vehicle's range.
In 1968 Mazda became the first carmaker to produce rotary engines in high volume. But it phased out the powerplant last year.
Mazda rolled out the range extender system only a month after CEO Masamichi Kogai told Automotive News the company would never put rotaries back into production unless it could sell at least 100,000 units per year.
But the company has pointed out previously that the smooth-running rotary offers several advantages as a range extender, include an ultra-compact design and the ability to run on multiple fuels.
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