http://www.greenlivingonline.com/GettingAround/green-zoom-zoom/
(Jan 29, 2008)
When Mazda rewrote their Mazda Environmental Charter back in 2005, they meant business. The first line reads: "We will contribute to society by creating environmentally friendly technologies and products." 
Commitment to green
But even before creating the Charter, Mazda had been dipping their toes into the green driving world, working with such advanced companies as Ballard and THiNK.
The new Sustainable ZOOM ZOOM program - officially launched last month -- packs a lot of green action. And some of the new innovations are ready to literally hit the streets of Japan.
The gem of sustainability
The real star of Sustainable Zoom Zoom, the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, is a pretty sexy vehicle. Not just because of the snazzy name, or the PLA Plastic fabric for their ultra plush seats (more corn, in case you were still keeping track). This baby is a hybrid in the truest sense of the word - a bi-fuel car that goes either way. Its fuel preference is hydrogen but it will handle gasoline as well.
Good mileage
It gets 200 km(124 miles) on a full tank of hydrogen and with a 40 percent power increase over the gasoline. There is also a 30 kilowatt electric motor is incorporated into the drive train, right up in the front of the car while the NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydrides) battery pack is located under the second-row seats. The hydrogen tank takes up the space otherwise occupied by a third-row seat.
Combustion with hydrogen
What’s sweet about this car is that unlike fuel cell cars, this is an internal combustion engine - the kind DIYers have been building for ages along with BMW. The hydrogen flows into the cylinders and then fires. But the big difference (aside from the extra batteries and additional electric motor) is that Mazda uses rotary engines, which as it would happen are perfectly suited to hydrogen!
Originally called the Wankel Motor after inventor Felix Wankel, Mazda’s rotary engines have no pistons, fewer moving parts and a chamber that rotates in an ideal way for Hydrogen!
What's equally impressive is that this vehicle is for lease in Tokyo right now! That deserves repeating -- this year! Zoom Zoom!
Backup gas
It’s possible with this new Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to drive coast to coast using the hydrogen tank and electric hybrid part, using gas only in emergencies, when there is that long stretch without a hydrogen station. We may not be there yet in North America, which is probably the reason why Mazda is launching the car in Tokyo where there are enough hydrogen stations to fill all those leased cars with good old H2. And kudos to Mazda for dreaming big and assuming hydrogen will happen in North America. We need that!
Future trends for N.A.
In less than 12 months Mazda will be launching an E85 and some other flex-fuel cars across North America (that’s 85 percent corn for those of you keeping score).
In tandem they’re introducing a new Smart Idling Stop System (SISS) into the Japanese market in 2009. (They always get everything first!)
Just like a hybrid, which shuts off the gas engine when parked or at a red light, the SISS saves gas by stopping the engine when idling, and then instantly restarts it as soon as the driver’s foot comes off the brake.
Lighter and efficient
In 2010 Sustainable Zoom Zoom will be rolling out clean diesels, and all the while they will be integrating other green aspects, such as high-heat resistant bioplastics developed alongside Hiroshima University and the Nishikawa Rubber Co. Ltd. These new vehicles will weigh less and be more fuel efficient.
Sun and wind
And Mazda has some even bigger dreams. The Senku has flying wing-doors and solar panels embedded into the roof. The solar doesn’t generate enough power for it to be a fill EV but it does constantly charge up the vehicle, much like standard hybrids do now.
Or how about the Furai sports car, (pronounced Foo-Rye, Japanese for "The Sound of the Wind")? It’s designed to run on 100 percent Ethanol.
Certainly plenty to keep us excited and anxious to hit the road for some Green Zoom Zoom!
Lee Schnaiberg is a Canadian green generalist and a huge fan of hydrogen internal combustion engines.
Green Zoom Zoom
Image: www.mazda.com
Commitment to green
But even before creating the Charter, Mazda had been dipping their toes into the green driving world, working with such advanced companies as Ballard and THiNK.
The new Sustainable ZOOM ZOOM program - officially launched last month -- packs a lot of green action. And some of the new innovations are ready to literally hit the streets of Japan.
The gem of sustainability
The real star of Sustainable Zoom Zoom, the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, is a pretty sexy vehicle. Not just because of the snazzy name, or the PLA Plastic fabric for their ultra plush seats (more corn, in case you were still keeping track). This baby is a hybrid in the truest sense of the word - a bi-fuel car that goes either way. Its fuel preference is hydrogen but it will handle gasoline as well.
Good mileage
It gets 200 km(124 miles) on a full tank of hydrogen and with a 40 percent power increase over the gasoline. There is also a 30 kilowatt electric motor is incorporated into the drive train, right up in the front of the car while the NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydrides) battery pack is located under the second-row seats. The hydrogen tank takes up the space otherwise occupied by a third-row seat.
Combustion with hydrogen
What’s sweet about this car is that unlike fuel cell cars, this is an internal combustion engine - the kind DIYers have been building for ages along with BMW. The hydrogen flows into the cylinders and then fires. But the big difference (aside from the extra batteries and additional electric motor) is that Mazda uses rotary engines, which as it would happen are perfectly suited to hydrogen!
Originally called the Wankel Motor after inventor Felix Wankel, Mazda’s rotary engines have no pistons, fewer moving parts and a chamber that rotates in an ideal way for Hydrogen!
What's equally impressive is that this vehicle is for lease in Tokyo right now! That deserves repeating -- this year! Zoom Zoom!
Backup gas
It’s possible with this new Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to drive coast to coast using the hydrogen tank and electric hybrid part, using gas only in emergencies, when there is that long stretch without a hydrogen station. We may not be there yet in North America, which is probably the reason why Mazda is launching the car in Tokyo where there are enough hydrogen stations to fill all those leased cars with good old H2. And kudos to Mazda for dreaming big and assuming hydrogen will happen in North America. We need that!
Future trends for N.A.
In less than 12 months Mazda will be launching an E85 and some other flex-fuel cars across North America (that’s 85 percent corn for those of you keeping score).
In tandem they’re introducing a new Smart Idling Stop System (SISS) into the Japanese market in 2009. (They always get everything first!)
Just like a hybrid, which shuts off the gas engine when parked or at a red light, the SISS saves gas by stopping the engine when idling, and then instantly restarts it as soon as the driver’s foot comes off the brake.
Lighter and efficient
In 2010 Sustainable Zoom Zoom will be rolling out clean diesels, and all the while they will be integrating other green aspects, such as high-heat resistant bioplastics developed alongside Hiroshima University and the Nishikawa Rubber Co. Ltd. These new vehicles will weigh less and be more fuel efficient.
Sun and wind
And Mazda has some even bigger dreams. The Senku has flying wing-doors and solar panels embedded into the roof. The solar doesn’t generate enough power for it to be a fill EV but it does constantly charge up the vehicle, much like standard hybrids do now.
Or how about the Furai sports car, (pronounced Foo-Rye, Japanese for "The Sound of the Wind")? It’s designed to run on 100 percent Ethanol.
Certainly plenty to keep us excited and anxious to hit the road for some Green Zoom Zoom!
Lee Schnaiberg is a Canadian green generalist and a huge fan of hydrogen internal combustion engines.
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