Mazda has cancelled the development of a range extender MX-30 that uses a rotary engine, reports Nikkei. This comes as a surprise after it has been widely reported that the Mazda MX-30 electric vehicle (EV) will be available with a rotary range extender.
A range-extender engine is basically a small petrol-burning generator that creates electricity to either drive the electric motors or recharge the battery.
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Also read: Mazda rotary engine is back, but it won't be in a sports car...
Since the Mazda MX-30 EV offers a relatively short 200 km of range using a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the range extender was thought to eliminate consumer’s range anxiety.
The report mentioned that the policy has switched to focusing on the development of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid vehicles (HEV). It appears that the emphasis was placed on reducing the high-voltage battery capacity to keep the vehicle price down.
A PHEV would typically require a larger combustion engine and fuel tank than a range extender EV, which minimizes the capacity for the high-voltage battery.
In general, PHEVs have a battery capacity of around 10 kWh. This is said to reduce the price and make the MX-30 more affordable.
However, the report also mentioned that the rotary engine is still planned for “small” cars, and there are no plans for a rotary engine in “medium” to “large” cars. So, it seems that rotary engine lives to fight another day.
Also read: Let's take a look at Mazda’s electrified rotary engine, launching in 2022
The quest for automotive knowledge began as soon as the earliest memories. Various sources information, even questionable ones, have been explored including video games, television, magazines, or even internet forums. Still stuck in that rabbit hole.
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