Mazda Delivers First Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to Iwatani Corporation
26 May 2009
Mazda Motor Corporation delivered the first Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to Iwatani Corporation, an energy development company based in Japan. The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is Mazda’s latest hydrogen rotary engine (RE) vehicle which uses hydrogen as a fuel and features a unique hybrid system. (Earlier post.)
| Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid (Iwatani Corporation version). Click to enlarge. |
The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is a dual fuel vehicle that can run on both hydrogen and gasoline. The addition of a new hybrid system significantly enhances the vehicle’s performance and contributes to its increased hydrogen fuel range of 200 kilometers (124 miles); double that of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE.
The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is the second hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to be leased to Iwatani Corporation, following an RX-8 Hydrogen RE that was delivered in March 2006. The new model will be used for business purposes at the company’s offices in Western Japan, before being located at the Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project’s (JHFC) Kansai Airport Hydrogen Station, where it will be used at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka and for a variety of other purposes.
Hmmm. A lot of combustibles in one engine.
Posted by: sulleny | 26 May 2009 at 06:13 AM
hydrogen + ice: the worst of both worlds.
Posted by: Arne | 26 May 2009 at 06:23 AM
For clarity: ice = internal combustion engine
Posted by: Arne | 26 May 2009 at 06:24 AM
It may sound hugely inefficient to use H2 in an ice, but that all depends on the electricity source. In countries like France or Belgium, where 54% is nuclear, 5% renewable and 17% natural gas, electricity produces relatively low CO2 per kWh. If on top, you have an electrical H2-generator at home that uses baseload electricity at night (>>nuclear ; natural gas plants are switched off then), it's almost completely CO2-free. On top, you use electricity that would have been wasted anyway ; that even counts for coal powerplants.
Sure, batteries and fuel cells would be better, but at the moment there are none or they are too expensive, while a H2-ice is not that difficult or more expensive to make.
In the relatively near future, we will gradually replace polluting powerplants with nuclear and wind. Both of them produce a lot of electricity at night, which could be used for local H2 production. Efficiency is less important when the electricity is cheap, green and would have been lost anyway.
Posted by: Alain | 26 May 2009 at 07:01 AM
I see Mazda doing this because they do not have a fuel cell program that I know of and they are trying to find another use for their rotary engine. It keeps their corporate image looking like it is future oriented without costing a lot. BMW seemed to have the same strategy.
Posted by: SJC | 26 May 2009 at 10:43 AM
No its more interesting then that guys. Because of the way fuels are priced in japan you can fuel a car with h2 cheaper then with gas. And because of the way things work out you can MAKE h2 at home cheaper then you can buy it.
Posted by: wintermane2000 | 26 May 2009 at 04:16 PM
Alain,
"It may sound hugely inefficient to use H2 in an ice, but that all depends on the electricity source."
No that doesn't depend on the electricity source. Wasting electricity is wasting electricity. It is independent on how it was generated. Pollution, yes, that is dependent on how the electricity was made.
Have you ever tried to calculate the amount of electricity needed if we switched to these kind of cars? We're already having big trouble to switch our current electricity consumption to CO2-free generation, let alone how difficult it gets if this wasteful and, frankly, retarded technology is what we're going to use.
Posted by: Arne | 27 May 2009 at 04:36 AM
Alain,
"...been wasted anyway..."
You seem to be implying free electricity at night. Would you please explain what you mean?
Posted by: SJC | 27 May 2009 at 09:44 AM
Anne this is mainly a reaction to congestion charges and the fact that an h2 ice car gets out of paying the charge. You can expect alot of h2/gasoline conversions popping up in cities with such charges. Its also a result of the high cost of gas and low cost of the natural gas feedstock they use to make h2 in japan.
Posted by: wintermane2000 | 27 May 2009 at 11:13 AM