Mazda Motor Corp. has announced it will halt in 2030 the production of vehicles that run only on engines powered by fuel such as gasoline or diesel.
The automobile manufacturer, noted for its high-performance engines featuring its proprietary fuel-saving technology Skyactiv and other mechanisms, is planning to accelerate electrification.
Electric and hybrid vehicles will be produced as Mazda hopes to smoothly adjust to the changing business environment as governments around the world continue to tighten environment-related regulations.
"All of our cars will run on electricity in 2030," Mazda President Akira Marumoto said at a technology briefing held on Oct. 2 in Tokyo. Marumoto, 61, was speaking in public for the first time since he became president in June to disclose part of the company's electrification strategy.
The strategy calls for Mazda to cease production of automobiles that have only gasoline or diesel engines. In 2030, 95 percent of its total production of cars will be dedicated to hybrids, while 5 percent will be devoted to electric vehicles. In 2019, the company will launch a new hybrid vehicle that uses a simplified hybrid system dubbed "mild hybrid."
In the development of electric vehicles, the company will revive its rotary engine, the epitome of Mazda's technology. The engine will not be a device that drives the car as it was originally intended, but as a generator of electricity. Mazda said that by doing so, the driving range -- said to be the weak point of electric vehicles -- will be substantially extended.
"The vehicle will be able to travel twice as far as one running only on batteries," said Kiyoshi Fujiwara, 58, Mazda's vice president and head of the technical division.
In addition, the rotary engine is smaller and lighter than ordinary engines and can aid the automaker in designing the vehicles.
Mazda stopped producing the rotary engine in 2012 after the automaker could not improve on its low fuel economy. The rotary engine now seems like it will make its comeback as a key device for the electrification of Mazda vehicles.
Lightweight boost for electric vehicles
Mazda was the world's first automaker to mass-produce rotary engines. These engines have been installed in about 1.99 million units since the Cosmo Sport was launched in 1967 and later when the RX-7 became a huge hit.
In ordinary engines, pistons move back and forth to generate power, while rotary engines gain motive power through its spinning triangular rotors.
According to Mazda's plan, electric vehicles will be able to generate electricity with the motive power of the rotary engine and recharge batteries when the battery power is low. The small-sized, lightweight, high-output rotary engine with low vibration is believed to be fit for electric vehicles, which are characterized by being highly silent vehicles compared to those powered by regular engines.
Mazda will also develop technology to generate electricity using rotary engines in the event of a disaster. Since these engines can also generate electricity using liquefied petroleum gas, the company will consider uses such as sending these cars to disaster-stricken areas so the engines can be run on gas to generate electricity at shelters and other places in a blackout.
In the future, the company plans such uses of its rotary engines not only for generating electricity, but also for once again driving cars. There are many enthusiasts who await the return of rotary engine cars.
"I am hoping to turn our company into one that can make dreams come true," Marumoto said.
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