October 31, 2007
As part of the Zoom-Zoom philosophy of Mazda, the Japanese automaker is planning to have a totally new line-up of powertrains for 2010. The Japanese automaker has presented some of its engine in the all-new line-up during the Tokyo Motor Show.
The first engine Mazda has presented is its direct injection spark ignition (DISI) which is 1.4-liter petrol engine. With this engine, Mazda hopes to increase improvement in performance by up to 15-20m percent and the fuel economy to 20 percent as well.
There is also Mazda’s development of a clean diesel engine to comply with the strict requirements of European emissions. Diesel engines have become quite popular in the recent years because it offers excellent fuel economy and substantial torque. Mazda is planning on expanding the usability of these diesel engines by producing “fun-to-drive” engines that are capable of higher engine speeds and with a 10 percent fuel economy improvement.
The next generation RENESIS 16X rotary engine is also part of the Japanese automaker’s lineup. This is a 1.6-liter engine which features a trochoid chamber shape aimed at increasing torque at all engine speeds and improving thermal efficiency. This engine also aims to improve side exhaust ports and other advancements that will in turn improve the efficiency of the engine. This engine will be the one powering the Mazda Taiki Concept which was revealed before its Tokyo debut. This is the fourth concept car in the ‘Nagare’ design series which is inspired by the natural flow of air.
Mazda also has its own take on hybrid vehicles with its Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE (Rotary Engine) Hybrid which follows the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE had already been leased to some of the governments and to some companies as well. The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid was shown during the Tokyo Motor Show. The result of this new engine is 40 percent more than the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, thus there is much better acceleration performance.
Mazda also has a new concept hybrid system that will match the new hydrogen rotary engine being developed.
Mazda is also working on vehicle safety with its HMI or human-machine interface which will make the communication between the driver and the vehicle a lot easier. The Japanese automaker is also developing multi-switches to be incorporated in the rotary-inspired steering wheel to allow drivers to have control over some driving operations without having to remove their hands on the steering wheel.
Seita Kanai, Mazda’s director and senior managing executive officer, said, “Mazda’s determination and passion is expressed in the "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" plan, our long-term technology development vision that was announced in spring 2007. In advancing this plan, Mazda aims to further evolve its Zoom-Zoom world by delivering true driving pleasure harmoniously balanced with high levels of environmental and safety performance, and by building cars that look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again.”
August 23, 2007
Let’s do a little backtracking since I’ve already mentioned Mazda’s use of the RENSIS engine on two of their models – the RX-8 Hydrogen and their Mazda 5 Hydrogen Rotary Hybrid Concept Vehicle.
The RENESIS engine is a unique powerplant that Mazda originally wanted to put in its Mazda RX-EVOLV concept vehicle, the supposed to be next big thing in the world of sports cars. With the installation of the RENESIS engine, Mazda sees that it will be able to bring to realization its Mazda RX-EVOLV.
RENESIS means Rotary Engine GENESIS. It is a twin-rotor engine that could deliver a power output of 280 horsepower, which is the highest output ever to be achieved by a normally aspirated rotary engine, and its revs up to an amazing 10,000 revolutions per minute.
This RENESIS engine has been developed and improved from the multiple side-port experimental rotary engine which produced power for the RX-01 concept sports car that had been unveiled 12 years ago, at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show.
Now, this conceptualized engine of 1995 is being used today to power some of the revolutionary vehicles of Mazda like its RX-8 hydrogen and the Mazda 5 hydrogen rotary engine hybrid concept.
May 30, 2007
May 30, 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the Rotary Engine, or the sometimes known Wankel Engine. As drivers may have noticed by now, Mazda is the only automaker in history which incorporated this engine into a land vehicle, as I’ve written in my The Only One blog post.
As Mazda MX-5 had its humble beginnings in just a draft on a paper, the idea of the rotary engine came into one of Felix Wankel’s(the German who invented the rotary engine) dream and he interpreted it as a premonition. He was just a 17-year old lad at that time and he had the slightest cardinal knowledge on how internal combustion engine works(which even makes him more of a genius when he was able to come up with his own engine, and even a rotating one at that). In his dream, he went to a concert riding his own hand-made car and he was telling his friends how proud he is of it’s engine, “My car has a new type of engine – a half-turbine half-reciprocated engine. I invented it.”
That “premonition” he got in his dream awoken his sleeping spirit for engineering and he was so sure that an engine could achieve the four strokes – intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust – while rotating. Five years after that dream in 1924, in his blossoming age of 22, Wankel founded his own small laboratory, wherein he could further research and develop his idea of a rotary engine. This continued on until the World War II and his research was supported by the German Aviation Ministry(we could probably conclude then why rotary engines were found mostly in helicopters). They believed that such engine will help lead the German nation towards greatness, if it’s taken into its full potential.
A look at the postwar would show us Wankel establishing his Technical Institute of Engineering so he could continue his research and development of rotary engine and rotary compressors(which will primarily be used for commercial purposes).
NSU, a German motorcycle manufacturer, showed great interest in Wankel’s research and so it partnered with Wankel for the continuous development of the rotary engine. NSU then completed its development of the rotary compressor. They combined it with Wankel’s supercharger, and when they installed it in one of the NSU-made motorcycles, it yet again set another world speed record(NSU motorcycles were already winning in the World Grand Prix championships at that time).
Then finally, in 1957, 38 years after Wankel’s dream(he had it in 1919), he, together with NSU, completed a prototype of the type DKM rotary engine, which was combined to a cocoon-shaped rotor housing with a triangular rotor.
And today, it celebrates its 40th year of birth. Cheers to Wankel and his rotary engine! A toast to its 40 years of success. If Wankel would have it, Dreams do become reality after all.
