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Mazda Rotary Revived as Demio EV Range Extender

When it comes to Mazda’s rotary-powered engine, we know that the company’s CEO Masamichi Kogai stated that they have no plans to bring back for mass production. Therefore, this means we won’t be getting any successors to the RX-7 and RX-8 models.
Demio Range Extender 16 photos
Photo: car.watch.impress.co.jp
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Even so, it seems that Mazda engineers have been working on the technology and brought forth the new Mazda2 Range Extender. The vehicle comes with a range extender powertrain that compromises an electric motor and a gasoline-fueled 0.33-liter rotary engine in the rear that generates electricity for the supermini's lithium ion battery. It might not seem that much but we still think it’s better than nothing.

Powering the prototype is a 75 kW electric motor, the same one that powers the Demio EV they launched last year. Using the little .33 engine, the range of the 200 km battery is significantly boosted when the 10 liters of on-board fuel are converted.

Concerning the rotary engine, the guys from Mazda have some problems with emissions regulations but still think the engine has more pros than cons. It’s of a small size, burns different fuels and provides a quiet ride with little vibrations. Its a well known fact that rotary engines produce much less vibrations and rev more freely than ones with conventional cylinders.

So, it’s safe to say that the Extender Prototype give us hope and makes us believe Kogai, when saying they have some responsibility as they are “the first and only manufacturer to commercialize the rotary engine.”

Source: car.watch.impress.co.jp

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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