Mazda is back to being a charter member of the Rotary Club, it seems. More than a decade after it last used a rotary engine in a production vehicle, the automaker has unveiled the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a plug-in hybrid that will use such an engine as a generator.
The Mazda MX-30 only comes in electric-only in Canada and that’s likely to remain the status quo, as the MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV seems only planned for some overseas markets for now, including Europe – which is why the new model was revealed at the Brussels Motor Show in January.
Also known as a Wankel engine, a rotary is an internal combustion engine that uses a triangular rotor instead of pistons. As it spins, the rotor takes in an air-fuel mixture, moves it to the spark plug where it combusts, and then to the exhaust port where it’s expelled. Several automakers experimented with rotary engines, including General Motors, Ford, American Motors and Mercedes-Benz, but it’s most associated with Mazda’s production vehicles. The Japanese automaker first used it in the 1967 Cosmo Sport, while the last was the 2012 RX-8. The rotary engine left the automotive scene, mostly because it’s powerful but tends to be thirsty, but it’s still used in aerospace and marine applications.
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Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV Photo by Mazda
Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV Photo by Mazda
Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV Photo by Mazda
Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV Photo by Mazda
Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV Photo by Mazda
Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV Photo by Mazda
The regular MX-30 uses a 35.5 kWh battery and has a range of 161 km. The new model has a smaller 17.8 kWh lithium-ion battery with a range of 85 km. Mazda says that’s enough range for “a wide range of everyday driving needs,” and the smaller battery takes less time to charge. But since some will want to travel beyond that 85-km limit, the R-EV adds a small 830-cc rotary engine and a 50-litre gas tank. The rotary engine fires up when the battery depletes, but it doesn’t power the wheels directly. Instead, it acts as a generator, making more electricity to feed the electric motor, which in turn drives the wheels.
If this sounds familiar, it’s the same type of range-extended setup used by the Chevrolet Volt, and available as an option on the BMW i3, although both of those now-discontinued models used conventional piston engines. Although Mazda is calling the MX-30 R-EV a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the term is generally used here to describe a gas-electric hybrid that can run on electricity alone after it’s been plugged in, and then reverts to conventional hybrid operation when it depletes, with the gasoline engine capable of powering the wheels directly.
Mazda hasn’t confirmed how far the MX-30 R-EV will be able to go on a tank of fuel, although as with other range-extended vehicles and PHEVs, it will take you to your destination as long as it has fuel, even if the battery has depleted. And it is a production vehicle, not a concept, and will debut with a special “Edition R” package featuring maroon paint that matches the 1960 R360 Coupe, Mazda’s first passenger vehicle. Mazda was slower than many automakers to get onto the electric bandwagon, and the MX-30 is its first battery-powered production vehicle. It was introduced at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show and came to Canada in late 2021 as a 2022 model, initially offered only in British Columbia and Quebec. In the U.S., it’s currently only sold in California.
Keyword: Mazda reintroduces a rotary engine on its MX-30 plug-in SUV