Mazda’s electrification program began with the MX-30, but the short autonomy of this crossover makes it an option only for those who move mostly in the city or as a second family car. However, this limitation on the interval between reloads should be remedied with the introduction of a rotary-powered version of the Japanese crossover to act as a replacement. range extender???????? None of this prevents the Japanese manufacturer from continuing to defend an offer with multiple solutions, in which combustion plays a leading role. Although it is true that after 2035 new vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines will not be sold in Europe, Mazda in the United Kingdom has decided to demonstrate that biofuels should be an alternative to consider???????? To do so, he drove the world’s most popular roadster, a mass-produced MX-5, to cover 1000 miles (the equivalent of 1609 km), filling the tank only with Sustain, a 100% fossil-free fuel, which produces exclusively using agricultural residues, such as straw, crop residues and by-products unfit for human consumption.
According to the brand, the results were quite promising. The unit that served as a technical guinea pig to test the sustainable fuel, produced by the British Coryton, was equipped with the well-known 2.0-liter SkyActiv-G engine, which delivers 184 hp.
Starting from Essex, precisely at the Coryton headquarters, the MX-5 crossed England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, on a route that totaled more than 1600 km and stopped at four circuits, namely Anglesey, Oulton Park, Knockhill and Kirkistown. The trips to the track were meant to explore performance more intensively, to determine if there would be any Sustain deviations compared to conventional gas mileage. And the conclusion was that… no.
According to the Japanese technicians, in addition to not registering losses in the performance of the four-cylinder block, the 2.0 SkyActiv-G was also more restrained in terms of consumption with ecological fuel. Removing the laps on the four tracks from the equation, consumption stood at 6.2 litres/100 km. It should be remembered that this mechanic approves a consumption of 6.9 liters/100 km in WLTP, with manual or automatic transmission.
Mazda believes in so-called e-fuels produced from clean energy sources, as they are 100% carbon neutral. Here is the Mazda2 that runs on cooking oil and fats from microalgae
Mazda is committed to exploring alternative fuels as it was the first automaker to join the eFuel Alliance. A reflection of this is its participation in the Super Taikyu Series endurance test, where the Mazda2 runs in the ST-Q class, reserved for non-approved special vehicles, a category in which manufacturers can register and test experimental vehicles. In this case, the Mazda2 doubles as a laboratory on wheels powered by biodiesel, which is produced from used cooking oils and fats from microalgae.???????? In 2023, this same biofuel will power a racing car based on the Mazda3.
The Japanese manufacturer is not the only one interested in demonstrating the feasibility of the e-fuels not to give up combustion engines. The argument is that they are carbon neutral, but the reality is that they are not exempt from polluting emissions. However, tests like the one that was submitted to the MX-5 show that the hope that combustion engines do not die is still alive. It remains to wait for the “sensitivity” of the legislator who, in 2026, will revise the “Suitable for 55” plan.
Source: Observadora
