Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
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Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#2Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load?
The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen..
That can’t be the whole story?
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#3Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load? The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen.. That can’t be t…
Wankels can be made extremely compact so that might have something to do with it, i.e it has both very high power to weight and power to volume specs. I honestly don't know if that is the reason though, perhaps someone more knowledgeable of the specifics of range extenders might chime in but I imagine that is an important factor.
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#4Almost feel bad for GM, the article did not mention the Volt when talking about series hybrids. But I guess it is a Japan-focused news source.
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#5Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load? The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen.. That can’t be t…
> Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation?
What does low end torque have to do with electrical generation?
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#6Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load? The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen.. That can’t be t…
Pretty much.
One (potential?) advantage not mentioned in the article is lighter weight relative to a similar traditional engine.
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#7Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load? The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen.. That can’t be t…
Low end torque tends to be the rotary's Achilles heel. I think the claim being made is that efficiency is better at high, steady RPMs, but tbh, I've always found that claim a bit dubious. If you love the rotary engine, this does have some nice perks as the electric motor basically fixes the rotary engine's main weakness.
Having said that, I'd have been much more excited about this 10-15 years ago.
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#8Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load? The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen.. That can’t be t…
I don’t understand why Mazda doesn’t just make a drift-tuned electric car. You could do amazing stuff with software focused on that driving style.
A true electric successor to the RX-7 would capture so much attention.
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#9Almost feel bad for GM, the article did not mention the Volt when talking about series hybrids. But I guess it is a Japan-focused news source.
The funning thing is, people I know who have a Volt love their cars. Haven't tried one myself. My family has a couple of paid of Toyota gas vehicles that are 8+ years old and will probably live longer than we will.
Re: Mazda’s rotary engine in the age of the electric car
#10Does it produce more low end torque verses a traditional gasoline combustion engine? If not then why is it better suited for electrical generation? Is it more efficient with less load? The article mostly makes it sound like Mazda just loves the wankle and wants to find any possibly way to bring it back - even though it has “high” emissions… so coupling it with a hybrid electric motor makes it happen.. That can’t be t…
Pretty much. One (potential?) advantage not mentioned in the article is lighter weight relative to a similar traditional engine.
Would be good as a range extender motor. I think smaller battery cars with range extenders should be a better option than what we have now.