Mazda invented the rotary engine and launched it on the market in 1967 with the Cosmo Sport model, an elegant sports two-seater that visitors to Automobile Barcelona can admire at the Japanese brand’s stand in Palace 1.
The Cosmo Sport was a key moment in automotive history due to the daring of the Hiroshima manufacturer, a legacy of innovation that still lives on and that has given Mazda great satisfaction, such as the victory at Le Mans in 1991 with the 787B, the only brand that has achieved it with a rotary engine.
It was an open secret that Mazda would, sooner or later, recover its famous rotary engine. And so it has been; Mazda’s big star in Barcelona is the new MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a plug-in hybrid compact SUV with innovative technology, completely different from other brands.
Unique in the market, Mazda has opted for a different solution, with an idea similar to that used in its day in the Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt. That is to say, a kind of electric with extended autonomy that can be plugged in.
It is a path as valid as any other as long as total electrification does not arrive and the user avoids the exclusive dependence on electricity.
Mazda explains that it designed the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV as a plug-in hybrid model that brings together the best characteristics of fully electric vehicles and series hybrids, to offer its customers more possibilities to enjoy an electric vehicle.
For example, there are people who have moved to the outskirts of large cities so that their families can live in more natural and healthy environments, and who commute to the center every day to work.
Others are just the opposite: they have chosen to live in the city and like to go out on weekends with family or friends.
And there are also drivers who, above all, are aware of the future of the planet and want to contribute to sustainability through their lifestyle.
What makes the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV unique is that it uses a rotary motor to generate electricity. This engine symbolizes the manufacturer’s vocation to break with the established, and mixes equal parts passion for new challenges and perseverance to overcome difficulties.
In the opinion of Mazda technicians, plug-in hybrids are a realistic solution to the problem of electric vehicle range. Currently, the best-selling plug-in hybrid models use a parallel hybrid system that combines an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.
In contrast, the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV uses a series hybrid system: the propulsion is fully electric, but a very compact combustion engine has been added that acts as an electric generator and eliminates concerns about range. And it is that the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV has been developed to be used primarily as an electric vehicle.
The great advantage of the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is that the battery it incorporates, with a capacity of 17.8 kWh, can be charged using alternating current at a charging point or through the rotary motor. By the way, a small (75 HP) and light rotary engine that shares space in the engine compartment with the electric motor and generator.
The driver has at his disposal three different driving modes. Normal, the rotary motor continuously generates power; EV, to take advantage of the energy stored in the battery; and Charge, the generator sends the energy produced by the heat engine to the battery.
And, the most interesting thing, as we have explained, is that at all times it is the electric motor that transmits power to the front wheels. And with a more powerful electric motor (170 hp in total) than the 100% electric version.
Mazda announces 85 km of autonomy, WLTP approval, using exclusively the car battery. That is to say, without using fuel, gasoline, during the entire journey, which could be up to 110 km in 100% urban use.
The new MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV also incorporates a two-way charger system located in the trunk to power other electrical devices through a 1,500 W socket.
The benefits can be considered correct, with a limited maximum speed of 140 km/h and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h that is established in 9.1 seconds. Even more interesting is the approved combined consumption: only 1 liter per 100 km, with CO2 emissions of 21 g/km.
