Mazda Is Planning To Make Petrol Cars As Clean As EVs

The Japanese internal combustion-enthusiasts at Mazda are targeting vast leaps in petrol engine efficiency for future generations
Mazda Is Planning To Make Petrol Cars As Clean As EVs

Mazda says it is working on petrol engines that, once the energy supply chain is taken into account, are as clean as battery-fed powertrains.

There’s plenty of debate behind the scenes as to the true environmental benefits of electric cars when so much of the electricity that powers them comes from burning fossil fuels. Some companies, like Ecotricity, promise to supply their EV-charging outlets only from renewable sources, but Mazda says electrification isn’t the only way to save the planet.

100mpg MX-5, anyone?
100mpg MX-5, anyone?

In a technical conference the company has announced its plans for a range of engines called SkyActiv-3. They will eventually follow on from the SkyActiv-X units that feature Spark Controlled Compression Ignition, or SPCCI. Arriving before the end of March 2019 at the latest, the SPCCI engines will already offer a step change in fuel economy potential.

SkyActiv-3 will mark a gargantuan leap, though, if Mazda can pull it off. It committed itself to internal combustion last year, and now we know how it plans to do it. Its target is to almost double the thermal efficiency of its petrol engines, raising them by 27 per cent and reaching 56 per cent overall.

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At the moment that’s simply impossible. If Mazda can find a way, though, stratospheric efficiency is on the cards, along with a target of 25 per cent less carbon emissions. That would serve buyers with well-to-wheel emissions ratings on a par with electric cars that run on electricity generated by gas-fired power stations.

Naturally, because Mazda is trying to achieve what is, today, technically impossible, there’s no time-scale for bringing SkyActiv-3 to market. We doff our caps to the Japanese firm for trying, though.

Source: Automotive News

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Comments

The Stig's Macedonian cousin

At least some good news for us petrolheads after the flood of electric cars this year alone.

01/30/2018 - 10:02 |
2 | 0
Klush

This is what we should do instead of anandoning internal combustion!

01/30/2018 - 10:17 |
2 | 0
Klush

We all need to send love letters over twitter to them!

01/30/2018 - 10:19 |
1 | 0
Vedran 1

We don’t deserve Mazda

01/30/2018 - 10:37 |
3 | 0
Anonymous

EV lovers maybe go nuts if they read this article.

01/30/2018 - 11:10 |
14 | 0
H5SKB4RU (Returned to CT)

There’s always a wae

01/30/2018 - 11:30 |
15 | 1

If dere is one wae dat is de real wae, it is de mazda wae

01/30/2018 - 12:55 |
12 | 2
Rahul 1

ALL HAIL MAZDA!!!

01/30/2018 - 11:47 |
1 | 0
Nishant Dash

In reply to by Rahul 1

Yeah! I always believe in the ICE, it’s cleaner than the coal used in power plants 😂

01/30/2018 - 12:04 |
5 | 0
ᴶᵘˢᵗᴬᴿᵃⁿᵈᵒá

They need a new Dorito

01/30/2018 - 11:57 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

There is still a grain of salt in it in my opinion.
Even though most of our energy is still produced by burning fossile fuels, it is possible to generate 100% of our current demands with renewable energy sources. It is also possible to create environmentaly friendly battery technology (sillicium batteries are a current subject of research, hydrogen fuel cells can power electric cars, too).

It is however impossible to generate infinite amounts of oil and its also impossible to burn anything carbon based without creating CO2 or CO.

I will however agree that current battery electric EVs are far from being as enjoyable or fun as the ones that are powered by burning dinosaurs :)

01/30/2018 - 11:58 |
6 | 2
Tomislav Celić

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

^^^^^

01/30/2018 - 12:58 |
0 | 1
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Check Audi and their g-tron program. They capture CO2 from the air and convert it into LPG (if I’m not mistaken), making cars running on it CO2 neutral

01/30/2018 - 13:28 |
6 | 0
Ben Anderson 1

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The problem with batteries is that we still need oil. IIRC 1kg of battery needs tens of litres of the black stuff. The problem is just moved elsewhere.

01/31/2018 - 11:51 |
0 | 0