Plug-in-hybrid and hydrogen-powered Mazdas are coming, by way of Toyota City. That’s right—imagine all the whole-grain, combustion-free goodness of a Toyota Mirai or a Prius Plug-In, but with the sexy, Mazda-shaped bodies you wouldn’t kick off your driveway in the morning.
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The two Japanese automakers want to expand their manufacturing cooperation beyond today’s Mazda-built Scion iA and Japan-only Mazda 3 hybrid, with the goal to electrify more of Mazda’s models. In return, Toyota will get Mazda’s SkyActiv gas and diesel engines, according to Reuters, although we already knew the next-gen Mazda-built Yaris will use one. The deal hasn’t been finalized, although we expect it will be. In January, Toyota decided it would share 5680 fuel-cell patents with any automaker or supplier willing to sign a contract through the year 2020.
-Mazda has licensed Toyota hybrid powertrains since 2010, and a gas-electric 3 (known as the Axela) has been available in the Far East since 2013. Meanwhile, Toyota also has been collaborating with BMW on hydrogen fuel cells and hybrids since 2012—remember BMW’s liquid hydrogen internal combustion engines? For Toyota, the more rival automakers embrace hydrogen and encourage the development of an actual infrastructure, the more it wins.
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- What Replaces Gasoline? Hydrogen May Be Winning the Zero-Emissions Battle
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- First Drive: 2016 Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Sedan
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- Long-Term Test: 2015 Mazda 3 2.5L Manual Hatchback
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For Mazda, while its regular SkyActiv engines are already highly efficient and fun to rev, gas-free options would delight customers in California and the eight other zero-emission states. Aside from a non-starter 6 hybrid and the short-lived Tribute hybrid based on the last-gen Ford Escape, Mazda hasn’t played in the electric field. Today’s laws demand hybrids, so expect SkyActiv-H and SkyActiv-E labels to surface in a few years.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1ExIogN
via Agya
