Mazda's Premacy RX8 and Mazda5 are already testing on the road in limited numbers.
(Credit: Mazda)Usually when we hear about hydrogen as a fuel, it's actually being used to generate electricity for an electric motor. It's no secret that Mazda's been developing a hydrogen powered version of its Renesis rotary engine for years, but now the automaker says that it will soon be mass-producing hydrogen powered vehicles. The rotary engine's unique design actually makes it well suited for using hydrogen as a combustible fuel.
In an interview with U.K. magazine 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."
Mazda's already built working hydrogen powered RX8s and Mazda5s, so we can see how that number could be realistic. With electric cars making huge strides and the hydrogen distribution infrastructure still lacking, it may be too little too late for Mazda's hydrogen rotaries by the time they reach the market.
Autocar's article also speculates about the potential for a hydrogen powered RX7 sports coupe revival. Lightweight? Fast? Green? Sign us up!
Read the full 2009 Mazda Mazda5 Grand Touring review.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)It seemed as if everyone who we spoke to about Mazda's Mazda5 said the same thing: "It's a mini-minivan." As cheesy as that sounds, there isn't really a better way to describe what Mazda has created with the Mazda5. As fuel prices soar and its full-size MPV minivan continues to grow, Mazda hopes to do for the van market what crossovers have done for the SUV market. Based on the compact Mazda3, the Mazda5 inherits performance that comes very close to Mazda's promise of "zoom-zoom." The Mazda5 isn't really a vehicle that should be judged on performance, however, but rather by its unique combination of sedan-like economy and van-like utility.
(Credit:
Mazda USA)
Chevrolet's Volt hasn't even been released yet and other automakers are already hard at work developing their Volt killers. Sources at Autocar say that Mazda engineers have developed a working Mazda5-based electric vehicle prototype. The prototype is said to use a rotary engine to charge a battery pack that powers an electric motor driving the wheels.
Essentially, the only thing that's keeping Mazda from putting the system into production is the high cost of batteries. Meanwhile, Mazda is said to be concentrating on more conventional green tech, such as engine start-stop technology.
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