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Electric cars: Now Mazda also gives electricity

2019-09-05T02:46:24.898Z


Recently Mazda gave up the production of its own electric cars - and is now with a Stromer at the start. In a year he should be at the dealer. So the test drive ran in a prototype.



It is less than two years since the then Mazda European boss Jeffrey Guyton in an interview with DER SPIEGEL electric cars in his portfolio categorically excluded. At least, as long as the electricity for the operation is not produced 100 percent renewable. Until this day, Mazda would prefer to build cars with efficient combustion engines, occasionally provide them with a mild hybrid system or interpret as a plug-in hybrid, so Guyton.

But this position is history. Mazda, too, is feeling the pressure from Brussels and has to meet the CO2 requirements of the European Commission by the end of 2020. These are on average 95 g / km. And since the car buyers also buy at Mazda to a large extent SUVs (CX-3 and CX-5), which consume more fuel than design by the same size sedans and compact cars, it needs so-called compensation mass - so models that emit no CO2: electric cars.

For the first time, the Japanese manufacturer has given a handful of journalists a first insight into its electric car plans. Whereby spontaneously little is visible: The matte black painted test vehicles is the compact SUV CX-30 - at least externally. Under the well-known shell is a specially developed electric platform, the SUV is only what is called in the industry a "Mule" - a jackass for the new technology.

Special way with the range extender

At the end of October, Mazda wants to show how the electric car should actually look like at the Tokyo Motor Show. According to rumors, it is supposed to be a crossover, which in terms of size is logically similar to the CX-30, but still differs significantly from this. "We want to visually give our electric models a different appearance than the combustion vehicles," reveals product manager Hiroyuki Matsumoto.

To keep costs and weight under control, the developers opted for a relatively small battery. Its capacity is 35.5 kWh. This is much less than, for example, Volkswagen is planning on ID.3. 45 kWh are already included in the basic version, with the customer optionally being able to choose 58 or even 77 kWh, extending the range from 330 to 550 kilometers. Mazda does not offer this latitude. The space conditions in the floor assembly are limited and do not allow such battery sizes. Mazda's EV should thus create about 250 kilometers. The company does not yet give exact figures, but brings a version with Range Extender into the conversation. "We want to give our customers the ability to run battery electric during the week and make longer weekend trips on the same car," says Matsumoto.

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Mazda's first electric car: AC

The Range Extender drives a small auxiliary motor to a generator. This in turn produces power for the battery or sends it directly into the electric motor. Mazda goes here also a special technical route and wants to use a Wankel engine in his electric car. The Japanese have experience with the capricious engines: in the Cosmo and especially the RX-7 they perfected the concept for decades and drove it even to excellence in motorsport. Wankel engines have many advantages, which would also be particularly useful as range extenders: they are extremely quiet and low-vibration and can be kept very compact in size. In addition, they can operate in addition to gasoline with the best of natural gas or even hydrogen gas.

Funny, artificial engine sound

Audi had also considered this range extender principle a few years ago, built a mini-Wankel in the trunk of an electrically powered A1. Finally, they buried the project. BMW initially also offered its i3 with Range Extender. Here a motorcycle engine chattered in the stern.

105 kilowatts is provided by the electric motor in the Mazda test vehicle. He sits in front under the hood and drives the front wheels. A second electric motor on the rear axle should not exist. "All-wheel is not an issue for our customers in this vehicle class," says Hiroyuki Matsumoto. The power is enough to get along well in everyday life, but fun acceleration kicks like the BMW i3 are not possible. On our first test drive, the electric CX-30 shows a good overall tuning, but the steering does not convey the lightness of the gasoline version. One notices the car its additional weight of around 400 kilograms. Mazda should renounce quiet on the artificial engine sound, which is played while driving over the boxes in the interior. Last but not least, buyers of an electric car opt for this drive because they love peace and quiet.

Mazda's first electric car will be his last

What was missing in the test vehicles were recuperation levels. In thrust mode the electric Mazda delays only very little. That may be okay for highway and highway, but usually a Stromer moves in an urban environment, where is constantly being slowed down. Other manufacturers solve this via multi-stage rockers on the steering wheel, such as Hyundai in Kona. With a little practice, this allows so-called one-pedal driving. The brake pedal needs virtually no longer be operated. Delayed is exclusively on the electric motor, brake pads are spared and their fine dust is not swirled into the environment.

Mazda wants to bring its first electric car in the second half of 2020 in the trade. Orders should be possible from spring. Priced, the Stromer should be at the level of competitors, thus costing around 35,000 euros.

The first electric car from Mazda will probably be the last, at least the last self-developed. Further electric models are to be developed in cooperation with Toyota. In order not to let the enormous development costs for electric mobility go too far, two years ago a cooperation was entered into with Japan's largest carmaker. Also Subaru is meanwhile in the boat. Future e-cars of the three brands will then differ only in design, but not in the underlying technology.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2019-09-05

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