Rotary engine lives on with Mazda Vision-X Coupe
Five-metre long PHEV concept gets 510hp and 100 miles of EV range - powered by carbon neutral micro algae fuel...
Though it can now seem like every powertrain possibility is being embraced by the manufacturers - see the next BMW X5, with five engine setups - there remains little appetite for rotary. A shame, given the smoothness and lightness, if understandable given their reputation for hoovering up fuel and oil. But Mazda has persevered, with concepts like the incredible Iconic SP and showroom models like the range-extender MX-30. And now it’s taking the technology one step further with this, the plug-in hybrid Vision-X Coupe.
A five-metre long luxury hatch complete and a stunning interior, the Vision-X Coupe is nothing if not different. Its PHEV system comprises a two-rotor turbo rotary alongside a motor and a battery, which together should give 510hp, 500 miles of range - and 100 miles of pure electric driving. Which looks like being an absolute pleasure in something as suave as this. Furthermore, while Mazda hasn’t yet bothered with anything so prosaic as fuel consumption for its new rotary, it does have a way to make the Vision-X more environmentally friendly than any similarly powered car of the past. Sitting comfortably? It’s carbon-neutral fuel… derived from microalgae.
Yes, you read that right, Mazda’s latest e-fuel could be used to power something like this. Anything with an engine, in theory. Details are scarce at the moment on exactly what the algae is and how it makes fuel, though Mazda is promising that in conjunction with its Mobile Carbon Capture - again not much info - the Vision-X ‘contributes to reducing atmospheric CO2 the more it is driven.’ A rotary that reduces carbon dioxide as it motors along - never thought we’d see the day. Consider us intrigued as to the Vision-X’s future, for sure; if the MX-30 with a rotary range extender can make production, why couldn’t this?
At the slightly more realistic end of the concept scale, with nothing so wild as microalgae fuel but instead ‘empathetic’ AI for the interior, is the Mazda Vision-X Compact. At 3.8m long and less than 1.8m wide, it presumably previews what a city car below the 2 could look like; like the Vision-X with which it shares some design cues (see the front lights, most notably), that seems a handsome future from here. Another cool interior, too.
Without a front grille, we’d assume this is a small electric car, but Mazda isn’t talking about that for now, instead focusing on the Compact’s artificial intelligence; it wants AI to be like a friend in the car, emotional connection and all, ‘capable of engaging in natural conversation and suggesting destinations, helping expand the driver’s world’. Given the progress being made in AI, who’s to say what’s possible with automotive. While cars like the Vision-X continue to focus on the ‘Joy of Driving’, the Compact is said to be more about the ‘Joy of Living’, or ‘creating exciting mobility experiences.’ Mazda wouldn’t be Mazda if it wasn’t doing things differently…
Masahiro Moro, Representative Director, President and CEO of Mazda, said: “The phrase, ‘The joy of driving fuels a sustainable tomorrow,’ expresses not only Mazda’s fundamental spirit, but also the core of its future challenges. Under the shared global mission of achieving carbon neutrality, Mazda believes that the joy of driving can be a force for positive change for society and the planet. We remain committed to fulfilling the desire of those who love cars and wish to continue driving forever.” That microalgae-powered rotary hybrid can’t come soon enough…
I rather like the exterior, and the fact that it's not overladen with screens (yeah right) I could overlook potentially
Not feeling any love for the automotive ladybird though.
However the little red thing looks very interesting and hopefully Mazda will actually try get something like it into production but if they do I’d guess it will probably be with a more sensible power train.
The idea is that algae remove CO2 from the air as part of the carbon fixation step during photosynthesis, and some strains can accumulate oils that are made of compounds that resemble hydrocarbons that internal combustion engine can run on.
Another issue was that the algae grow to such high densities that the sunlight cannot penetrate very far into the culture medium, meaning you have to design very thin bioreactors, which then introduces another problem with cooling - the algae get too hot and die. If cooling the cultures, the energy inputs often end up vastly greater than the output, making the whole thing a waste of time.
I’m not sure how much the state of the art has moved on, been out of the algae game for over a decade now, but I’m sceptical.
The vision x compact looks good, it would be good to see a proper Mazda replacement for the Mazda 2 rather than just a rebadged Yaris.
I agree the red looks better/more traditional, but welcome to a shift in powertrains.
But where does it say the Vision X-Coupe is an SUV?
Especially insane because there is absolutely no overlap between buyers of modern-ugly-massive-white-goods-plastic vehicles and those willing to tolerate the foibles of a rotary engine.
What’s the point of fighting on with an engine with some soul if you can’t be arsed to build something elegant to house it? It’s more annoying because we know they could.
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