Rotary Return in 2019! Fox News Reports
Rotary Return in 2019! Fox News Reports
The Wankel rotary engine could return to a Mazda car as early as 2019, but it won’t be spinning its wheels.
CarsGuide reports that Mazda’s head of research and development, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, has confirmed that the automaker will launch its first electric car in 2019, and said that it will likely use a small rotary engine as a range extending electricity generator for when the battery runs out of charge.
Mazda has demonstrated a prototype of this type of series-hybrid vehicle before, and the powertrain configuration is currently in use in several cars, including the BMW i3 REx, which has a two-cylinder reciprocating engine onboard.
The appeal of the rotary in this application is the high power density afforded by its compact design, and its smooth-running nature. Fujiwara said Mazda is developing the EV itself, rather than collaborating with a major automaker that already builds them.
SPIN: MAZDA'S ROTARY ENGINE MAKES A 180-DEGREE TURN
Mazda last built a car powered by a rotary engine in 2012, the RX-8, but had to abandon it largely to poor fuel efficiency and emissions. It has continued to work on the technology, however, as it is one of the company's signature features. Mazda officials have previously suggested that if they can get it to perform as well as a reciprocating engine, it will bring it back to power a conventional sports car, too.
Mazda rotary engine returning in 2019 | Fox News
CarsGuide reports that Mazda’s head of research and development, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, has confirmed that the automaker will launch its first electric car in 2019, and said that it will likely use a small rotary engine as a range extending electricity generator for when the battery runs out of charge.
Mazda has demonstrated a prototype of this type of series-hybrid vehicle before, and the powertrain configuration is currently in use in several cars, including the BMW i3 REx, which has a two-cylinder reciprocating engine onboard.
The appeal of the rotary in this application is the high power density afforded by its compact design, and its smooth-running nature. Fujiwara said Mazda is developing the EV itself, rather than collaborating with a major automaker that already builds them.
SPIN: MAZDA'S ROTARY ENGINE MAKES A 180-DEGREE TURN
Mazda last built a car powered by a rotary engine in 2012, the RX-8, but had to abandon it largely to poor fuel efficiency and emissions. It has continued to work on the technology, however, as it is one of the company's signature features. Mazda officials have previously suggested that if they can get it to perform as well as a reciprocating engine, it will bring it back to power a conventional sports car, too.
Mazda rotary engine returning in 2019 | Fox News
What am I doing here?
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 652
From: 2017 Miata RF Launch Edition
Dude... Ted... We already have a thread for the rumor mill.
It's been a cancerous fustercluck for a while now.
https://www.rx8club.com/general-auto...oncept-259962/
Just realizing why Omicron, Paul, capitalized the Ted. Didn't realize folks would pick up on that. Nice job Paul!
Last edited by BoosTED; Nov 23, 2016 at 07:48 PM.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 21,958
Likes: 115
From: portland oregon
there is no new info here. this is all from the interview he did last week that we've already talked about. some articles chose one perspective to talk about like changes in the rotary, or not electrifying it and using a turbo. this one has taken the tack of talking about the range extender mentioned. it's just different spin on the same info. it's not even fox's(or yahoo form the other thread) article they are citing carguide "CarsGuide reports" as if it's a legitimate source which it isn't. carguide got it from somewhere, which got it from the interviews done between the 16th and 20th about electric cars etc done with Drive, Autocar, WSJ etc.
