We’ve all heard the story before: Mazda wants to revive the rotary engine. Ever since the RX-8 was dropped over a decade ago, the company vowed to revive the concept of a rotary-powered sports car. Eleven years have passed since the RX-8's discontinuation, but those plans still have not come to fruition.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Mazda from at least trying to get that plan in motion. Recent patent filings reveal the company is having another crack at it. The latest patent shows that a rotary engine will power three electric motors. In essence, it’s Nissan’s e-Power technology on steroids and apex seals. It all sounds insane, but there is (some) method to Mazda’s madness.
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Mazda’s primary reason for using a rotary engine to charge up three electric motors is weight. Specifically, a Wankel rotary engine is inherently lighter than your typical piston engine and offers a lower center of gravity. With weight being the major draw of hybrids and EVs, the weight savings a Wankel rotary offers is significant.
For now, the patent doesn’t mention how many rotors will be used to power this arrangement. All we know is that this is yet another patent Mazda has filed to incorporate the rotary engine somewhere in its future. The Hiroshima-based company says it still dreams of putting one in a sports car one day, and if that's through an electrified system, then so be it.
That said, Mazda now has a rotary-powered vehicle in its lineup, but it’s no sports car. It’s installed in the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a practical, hybrid subcompact crossover. Like the patent, the rotary serves as a range extender that powers the electric motors. However, the engine itself comes with new technologies such as direct injection, along with the use of lightweight materials.
Now, if Mazda can stick in three of the MX-30 R-EV's 830cc rotors in something that looks like the RX-Vision AND hook it to the wheels, we might be on to something here. But, for now, it’s baby steps for Mazda’s rotary revival.
