tuna55 said:
The interior looks great, though.
the back seat looks torturous
tuna55 said:
The interior looks great, though.
the back seat looks torturous
In reply to Colin Wood :
Getting us all fired up for a new rotary(not really a fan of rotary engines)... Bet It's hydrogen
In reply to mad_machine (Forum Supporter) :
It looks as though they're intended to be folded down, similar to the Element (or is that just the half-doors reminding me of the Element?).
One of the big benefits to a small rotary range extender versus a piston engine has to be NVH, as rotaries are very smooth, especially if you're comparing it to a 2 or 3 cyl piston engine. Battery powered driving is very smooth and quiet, so any range extender would probably have more strict NVH requirements than normal.
Personally, for the same weight and price, I'd prefer a ~50 mile range PHEV with a range extender versus a 400 mile range BEV. Easily 95% or more of my driving would be done on batteries, but those few times when we need to go further could be done without a second thought. For many, a full BEV might never be practical (rural living, sparsely populated areas), but PHEV's eliminate most fuel use and would be much more acceptable to most people. I think viewing it as an intermediate step to full BEV adoption is short sighted.
My FD Rx7 when ran in it's sweet spot on the highway would knock down mid 30's mpg with no difficulty. That said, it's sweet spot put you at a ~90mph cruising speed, which I don't have the IDGAF anymore to run at that speed constantly down the interstate. At a constant speed/light load it burned next to nothing.
Personally, for the same weight and price, I'd prefer a ~50 mile range PHEV with a range extender versus a 400 mile range BEV. Easily 95% or more of my driving would be done on batteries, but those few times when we need to go further could be done without a second thought. For many, a full BEV might never be practical (rural living, sparsely populated areas), but PHEV's eliminate most fuel use and would be much more acceptable to most people. I think viewing it as an intermediate step to full BEV adoption is short sighted.
I do personally think that with the slow market penetration of PHEVs, they may end up being bit players instead of the majority that they should practically already be. Once BEV range in affordable models is consistently past 250 miles, i think most of the range concerns from people who weren't going to use it anyway will mostly disappear.
Having said that, i personally like the PHEV thing quite a lot. When i had a hybrid that couldn't do electric-only, i wished it could at least some electric only propulsion. When i had a hybrid that could do electric only, i wished it could do more of it. I haven't owned a hybrid/PHEV that does this yet, but i'd be just fine having all physical wheel turning done by an electric motor and have the ICE relegated to generator status (Volt, Accord Hybrid, probably many others). I would certainly prefer the ICE generator to be a sweet smooth little rotary with less parts and less nvh..But I have yet to actually wish the ICE wasn't there at all, and i suspect that might be forced onto us before i actually desire it on my own. PHEV is the sweet spot for me personally. Other than having a silly i-Miev with 50 miles of range because my shop commute is 4.6 miles and i can get one for $3900 and it doubles as a gigantic self-propelled battery pack i could potentially harness for other things. 
The only BEVs that i might actually buy in the near future are just because you can get an EV cheaper than you can get ANY phev. Ironically.
There's also that illogical component too; a 400+ mile range, Tesla-grade supercharging car would more than satisfy 99% of the public need but an enormous percent would shout "but what if I take a trip?????" or something to that affect no matter what. But suddenly toss in a standard, known factor- a gas engine- and suddenly concern relaxes around the unknown component. It's frustrating, but that's humanity for you.
On the plus side, that little rotary extender can also be a big deal for other types of cost savings- that little rotary could keep Mazda from needing to source battery-specific parts like heat pumps and powerful refrigerant systems, letting them repurpose existing AC compressors and such. Since the MX-30 only carries "enough" battery to their logic, it could be a way for Mazda to enter the Electric car markets cheaper by not using lots of bespoke parts and materials. I'd feel safe making a bet that the rotary is gonna be very similar to the Renesis.
Also I think this thing looks amazing. Mazda and Tesla (Until GM revealed the Ultimum) are the only manufacturers I'm excited for in the future because they're hungry and need successes; they take risks, and it shows.
At the risk of repeating myself, PHEV is the option for those for whom recharging outlets are restricted. If one is forced by circumstance to park on the street with limited electrical power, if one is forced to share charging in a parking structure BEVs will not be a worthwhile choice.
PHEVs will be the choice for a large portion of city dwellers until there is much more pay as you go charging.
I recently took a 388 mile trip to California - the epicenter of EVs.
My hotel did not have easy access to any charging infrastructure. I might have been able to string a 120v extension cord out to the parking lot, which I'm sure the owners would've loved. I would've then had to pay for parking at the hotel, instead of parking around the corner for free.
We didn't drive around much while we were there. Traffic around San Diego moves pretty quick, so luckily we were able to wring out all of the 110hp the 1.5l in the Honda Fit could muster.
Coming home was up and over some big mountains. I would not want that car to have any less power, although if the power with smooth and quieter, that'd be cool.
I'm 100% sold on PHEVs. I also think PHEVs should be able to run around town in full EV mode. My Prius has more power and torque than my Fit, and as such, is a little more enjoyable to drive, despite knocking out 20 extra mpgs. It's issues with eating oil prevented me from driving to CA.
I just wish more PHEVs were bigger. Toyota RAV4 Prime is looking like a good candidate.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:tuna55 said:I don't think that will produce the fuel economy consummate with an economical vehicle, and honestly I don't think it's necessary anymore.
A Wankel at full load can have a BSFC around .40 lb/hp/hr. Where the reputation for thirstiness comes from is that they absolutely suck for BSFC at low load, which is where practically all on-road driving is.
That's not all that great.
That said, I'm sure they are A) capable of much better than that and B) Mazda has done the math.
I just wish more PHEVs were bigger. Toyota RAV4 Prime is looking like a good candidate.
Everything i've seen of it so far seems great. But i've also heard that there will be so few available initially that each Toyota dealer may only get a small handful for at least the first year. Like, low single digits. 
pheller said:I just wish more PHEVs were bigger. Toyota RAV4 Prime is looking like a good candidate.
I helped my parents get a screaming deal last year on a used 2010 RX450h.
it's only a hybrid.. but i've been blown away at the kind of mileage it can get.
if it didn't need premium it would be damn near perfect.
my dad and I both love the very short range EV mode it has.
In reply to spacecadet (Forum Supporter) :
With the Rav4 Prime, it also drops the 0-60 from mid 6s to mid 5s. Not that anyone was asking them to be faster! I'm real curious to see the Lexus uses of that drivetrain. Even the current Venza looks like it would be sweet with the Prime drivetrain. I was never attracted to the original Venza, but the new one is.. much different.
You'll need to log in to post.
