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Mazda Announces Plans for EVs, Rotary Engines

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Mazda has been gradually coming around to the idea that it will need to put some form of electrification in its vehicles. Today, though, we have finally come to Mazda announcing its plan for electricity in its lineup by 2030.


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Electric Car charging parking spot

Photo: byronv2

Electrification

Mazda has conceded that it will need to use hybrids in its lineup, and now says that it will have some kind of electrification, whether using a gas engine or full electricity for power, in every Mazda by 2030. However, it seems Mazda will still be putting the weight of its emphasis on the gas engines, as it predicts that hybrids will make up 95 percent of its vehicles. Also, apparently hydrogen isn’t really on the table, as it says the other 5 percent are battery electric vehicles.

Mazda mentions two battery-electric vehicles in the pipeline, which it has mentioned before. The first is a fully electric vehicle, for rolling out to places where most electricity comes from green sources or places where it needs to due to regulations (read: California and states that follow its emissions regulations). The second, though, is a battery-electric with a special range-extending engine.


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Mazda Rotary Engine

Photo Courtesy of J. Lyon.

Return of the rotary

That special range-extender is an engine that Mazda fans have harped about since the RX-7 went off the roads: the rotary engine. Teased since the Tokyo Motor Show in 2015, the spinning-triangle engine will now charge an electric vehicle’s battery.

Partly, Mazda chose the rotary engine for this task due to its compact size. With it, Mazda could fit the engine into a much smaller space and into much light vehicles. In addition, the rotary is well suited for range extending because, even though it is small and quiet, it produces large amounts of energy. Plus, rotary engines can use gaseous fuels, so could run using liquefied petroleum gas and provide electricity in emergencies.

Above all, though, Mazda has promised that its electrified vehicles will follow its philosophy of human-centric design. So, hopefully, within the next decade we will see both a Mazda sporting a rotary engine and a Mazda powered by batteries on the road, both delivering Mazda’s dedication to fun and intuitive driving style.