A new generation of the Mazda rotary engine will be trialed in a plug-in electric car in Japan from 2013. This rotary, as opposed to the previous gas-guzzlers will use hydrogen rather than petrol, and will be teamed with an electric motor and batteries to act as a range extender. The car would be able to be driven purely on electricity and recharged from a household powerpoint with the rotary engine solely used to recharge the batteries rather than drive the wheels.
The concept is of an electric vehicle with a rotary engine range extender with the rotary engine running when needed at a constant 2000 rpm to maximise fuel economy plus low vibrations and has the advantage in being compact.
RX7 one of my favorite cars.
Rotary engines have been known to have poor fuel economy and no low-down torque.
However, Mazda is currently working on a rotary engine with bigger diameter which has bigger displacement of the eccentric shafts and looks to have future potential. Knowing Mazda, they will make it work.
