New Mazda electric car due in 2019 with rotary range-extender tech ~ station of gear

Mazda is planning a new bespoke electric car for 2019, and the possible return of the rotary engine as a range extender unit...

2017-03-20 16:13

Mazda is gearing up to introduce electric drive tech to its cars around the world, and headlining the roll-out will be an all-new, bespoke electric vehicle, Auto Express can exclusively reveal.

Insiders at Mazda have told us that the Japanese brand is targeting a launch date of 2019 for its new EV. It will use Mazda’s latest design language, set out by the new CX-5 and RX Vision concept (car pictured is the 2014 Hazumi concept).

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Speaking to Auto Express at the recent Geneva Motor Show, European R&D boss Matsuhiro Tanaka said: “[A fully electric car] is one of the possibilities we are examining. A small car is best for an EV because bigger vehicles get too heavy with bigger batteries, and that doesn’t make sense for Mazda.”

While Tanaka didn’t go into detail on the new model, it’s expected to be a rival for the Renault ZOE, although the car isn’t yet confirmed for European markets. Asked about the platform for the EV, Tanaka told us that it would need to be “a new design, because even though our strategy with it is the same [as our current range], the technology is different. For example, there will be lighter materials”.

He added: “If we put in heavy batteries, we need to do the opposite with the total weight. We are going to develop a new material technology in the future [to deal with this].”

From 2021, Mazda will expand its range of electrified vehicles with a line-up of plug-in hybrid models. Tanaka said: “We are developing a concept with hybrid power. We already introduced a hybrid [Mazda 3] in Japan, so we have the technology.”

The Japan-only Mazda 3 hybrid uses tech from Toyota but future hybrids from the brand are likely to come as part of this partnership. It’s possible that we’ll see a return to Mazda’s staple rotary engine in a range-extending capacity, providing power to charge a battery, rather than driving the wheels. Auto Express drove a prototype Mazda 2 using exactly such a rotary powertrain back in 2013 while recent reports suggest the brand has patented similar technology in the US.

Asked about the rumoured electrified rotary powerplant, Tanaka told us: “Something like that was in existence, but I can’t go into detail. Both performance and economy are possible with rotary. It’s very stable and quiet at standard revolutions, so some potential exists for that.”

Do you like the idea of a Mazda EV with rotary range extender option? Let us know in the comments and visit our sister site CarBuyer to see how the new Mazda EV could look...

Sam Naylor

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