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Mazda’s hydrogen future
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Mazda has confirmed that it will put its hydrogen-powered rotary engine into mass production.
Speaking to Autocar, James Muir, Mazda Europe’s CEO said that the company “will do the hydrogen rotary engine, but it won’t be in production for at least five years.”
The company is already running 30 hydrogen-powered RX-8s capable of 200km range in conjunction with a Norwegian company, HyNor, as part of its development tests.
Muir admits that sourcing and storing the hydrogen remains one of the biggest challenges, especially as Mazda is using it in gas rather than liquid form. It’s also possible that Mazda’s future hydrogen cars could be dual-fuel.
The next generation of Mazda’s RX-7 sportscar is likely to be the first model to get the new tech. Though not confirmed for production yet, the project’s key targets of light weight, performance and eco-credentials make a radical new RX-7 the ideal flagship for the new hydrogen technology.
Vicky Parrott
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