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The BMW i3 range-extender may no longer be on sale, but if you want a car with similar technology, then you’re in luck, because the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is now available to order.
The all-electric Mazda MX-30 has a 35.5 kWh battery with an electric driving range of 124 miles. In comparison, the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV has a 17.8kWh battery with an electric driving range of 53 miles. It also features Mazda’s all-new 830cc rotory petrol engine which acts as a generator to enable longer distance drives.
The combination of the 17.8kW battery and 50-litre fuel tank promises a total range of over 400 miles, with a WLTP CO2 output of 21g/km.
Mazda refers to the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV as a series plug-in hybrid. With no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels, the rotary unit simply acts as a generator, ensuring the MX-30 R-EV always drives via the electric motor.
With more than half a century of expertise in the development of rotary engines, Mazda says that it selected the rotary powerplant for this application due to its unique ability to produce the required output from a small, light and easily packaged unit. The rotary engine is located alongside the generator and high-output motor in the engine bay.
The Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV can be rapid charged in around 25 minutes, or charged using a 3-phase AC supply in around 50 minutes.
The Mazda MX-30 R-EV has three drive modes: Normal, EV and Charge (which saves the battery charge), and thanks to a 125kW/170PS output, it delivers slightly quicker acceleration than the 145PS fully electric MX-30.
The rotary engine uses direct fuel injection which reduces emissions and increases fuel economy, while the engine also features an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system to improve efficiency at low RPM and low load running.
Available to order now, for UK arrival in the summer, the Mazda e-Skyactiv R-EV is offered in the same grades as the all-electric MX-30: Prime-Lime, Exclusive-Line and Makoto – and the R-EV has top of the range Edition R trim. Just 400 Edition R models will come to the UK to celebrate the return of the rotary engine.
Prime-Line and Exclusive-Line R-EV models are priced identically to the BEV version, starting at £31,250. Makoto R-EV models have a £450 price premium over the pure electric version, and at the R-EV only Edition R is priced at £37,950.
