![2020 Mazda MX-30 Rotary Range Extender]()
Mazda’s rotary engine has been widely reported to be used as a range extender for electric vehicles. Now, Mazda announced that the Mazda MX-30 electric vehicle will be available with a rotary range extender.
The MX-30 is a pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) that offers around 200 km of range using a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The reason for this small battery pack and limited driving range is to keep well-to-wheel CO2 emissions (CO2 produced from oil extraction to combustion applied throughout the car's lifespan) at neutral levels.
![2020 Mazda MX-30 Exterior]()
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/22557728108/my_article_fourthp_under_pc', [
728,
90
], 'div-gpt-ad-1685525140735-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1685525140735-0'); });
However, the limited driving range could deter buyers from the MX-30, and this is where the rotary engine range extender comes in handy. It works exactly as the name suggests, the rotary engine fires up and charges the battery pack when needed for extra mileage.
A rotary engine range extender was first seen back in 2013 when Mazda was toying around with the Mazda Demio EV (or Mazda 2 for the rest of the world) that had 102 PS and 200 km of electric range.
![2013 Mazda Demio EV]()
Mazda then revealed the Demio EV RE (Rotary Extender) prototype that adopted a 330-cc single-rotor rotary engine with 30 PS driving a generator fuelled by a 9-litre gasoline tank. When the battery charge runs low, the rotary engine kicks in to charge the battery and this effectively doubled the Demio’s EV driving range.
The company hinted that a similar system would find its way to the MX-30 resulting in an estimated range of closer to 400 km. With a rotary engine range extender, the MX-30 would finally have a competitive driving range.
![Mazda Sustainable Zoom-Zoom]()
However, as per Mazda’s vision of Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, the company doesn't see BEVs replacing conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The two sources of propulsion instead complement each other as a sustainable solution in reducing our carbon footprint.
If you need to make a quick grocery run at a nearby supermarket, take the zero-emission EV. If you need to make an outstation trip, an ICE vehicle more efficient in more ways than one.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/22557728108/my_article_relatedmodel_above_pc', [
728,
90
], 'div-gpt-ad-1685525247138-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1685525247138-0'); });
