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Mazda patent shows rotary placement in complex AWD hybrid layout

If we were playing alt-powertrain Bingo, a recent Mazda patent application filed in Japan would be one or two letters from victory. What's exciting about the patent, discovered by Japanese outlet T's Media via Motor Trend, is that while it makes a case for an internal combustion engine of any configuration, one of the drawings showing a rotary engine. The wild bit is that the whole powertrain comprises the ICE, a transaxle, two tiny in-wheel electric motors turning the front wheels, a third electric motor in the driveline, a capacitor, a lithium-ion battery, and three inverters. Motor Trend parsed the mechanics, and the way it reads, Doc Brown couldn't have done a better job. The rotary engine at the front turns the rear wheels, but not directly. Instead of a flywheel on back of the engine, the drawing shows a 25-kW electric motor and an inverter, then a driveshaft running to the transaxle. Along the axis of the transmission tunnel in a normal car, between the inverter and the transaxle, lies a 3.5-kWh battery running at 48 volts. MT writes that the electric motor can add its output to the ICE output to drive the rear wheels, or the e-motor can turn the rear axle on its own. Up front, two inverters and a double-layer capacitor join the ICE in the engine bay. The capacitor and tiny hub motors in the front wheels run at 120 volts, a higher voltage than the rest of the electrical system, so that the small in-wheel motors can generate the same torque as a larger motor running at a lower voltage. The AWD system acts on-demand. Given the signal, the capacitors discharge their energy to the wheel motors, and recover energy from braking. When the capacitors are at full charge, they send excess regen energy to the lithium-ion battery; conversely, the battery can recharge the capacitors when they're low and the front hub motors need power. The patent explains that the ICE works with the rear e-motor to drive the rear wheels at low speeds, the front motors called on to "generate an output only when a large output is required in the high vehicle speed range." The rather complicated system is focused on providing the benefits of a hybrid system and all-wheel drive, but at lower weight than one would expect. A rotary serves due to its compactness, but one of the drawings shows an engine with a V layout. Hub motors get dinged for adding unsprung weight, hence the small motors here.

2023 Japan Mobility Show Editors' Picks

No, it's no longer called the Tokyo Motor Show, but the Japan Mobility Show is still in Tokyo and it still has to do with motors. In fact, with the rise of EVs, it's more of a motor show than ever before. And there were an astounding number of motors (and engines) to see, or at least concepts that hypothetically have them. Truly, we haven't seen a turnout this amazing since before the pandemic.  As such, the 2023 Japan Mobility Show featured plenty of machines that could, and did, snag points from our editors. And yet, even with the massive field, one car, unequivocally, stole our hearts. Read on to see our favorites.   Toyota Land Cruiser Se concept View 4 Photos 5. (Tie) Toyota Land Cruiser Se  While this concept is not quite the off-roader that the Land Cruiser is known to be, a street-focused electric SUV seems like a fine fit for the Toyota portfolio. It's hard to imagine we won't see an electric Land Cruiser come to production one day, filling out that as-yet underrepresented three-row EV segment. Give us an even more rugged version, and we'll be happy — Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder   Subaru Sport Mobility Concept View 7 Photos 5. (Tie) Subaru Sport Mobility I'm still waiting for a fun, electric sport coupe, and as much as I enjoy the likes of the rear-drive BRZ, I could have some serious fun in something like this all-wheel-drive Subaru Sport Mobility year round. I could fill that hole in my heart left by my '04 WRX. — Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder   Toyota EPU concept View 4 Photos 4. Toyota EPU You know what I like? Useful, funky little vehicles. The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz fit that bill well, and it seems a lot of other people like them, too, based on demand. You know what I also like? EVs. You know what combines those two things? The Toyota EPU. Assuming it was priced fairly reasonably (well below $40,000 is what I'm thinking), I would seriously be looking at getting one. I also seriously hope that Toyota's seriously looking at launching this, because it seems like a seriously great package. Seriously. — News Editor Joel Stocksdale   Mitsubishi D:X Concept View 8 Photos 3. Mitsubishi D:X Concept We sure do wish Mitsubishi sold the Delica here in the United States. We've long been fans of the van, which initially was sold in rear-wheel-drive form but adopted four-wheel drive in the early 1980s, and judging by the numbers we see imported to the States, we're not the only ones.

Long Road Racing will build you the Miata that Mazda won't

One of the frustrating things about new cars today is that many features are exclusive to this trim level, or that package. Even the enthusiast-friendly Miata has many restrictions how you can configure one, which can make choosing one a bit tricky. You can't have the cheapest one or the leather-clad one with a limited slip differential, for example. And adding aftermarket parts on your own runs the risk of voiding your warranty. Long Road Racing, however, has a possible solution for creating the ideal, warranty-covered Miata. You may not be familiar with Long Road Racing, but you probably heard about one of its most-publicized products, the MX-5 Cup car. The car was developed by Mazda with the intention of creating a global spec series, and Mazda reports that about 140 of the cars have been sold so far. Every single one of those cars went to Long Road Racing to be specced out for racing before reaching their customers. So the company is familiar with the car, and has applied its expertise to its "Ultimate MX-5" program. The way the program works is, once you've purchased a 2016 or 2017 Miata, you can send it to the company to have it customized to your needs. The company has an extensive list of parts to choose from, all of which have been selected by the company to work well together. But if you need something outside of its offerings, or just need help choosing from the list, you can get in touch with the company to discuss how best to achieve your goals. Long Road Racing will also customize any trim level of Miata, and can even create a Miata Mazda didn't offer. For instance, you could have a Grand Touring with the leather interior, but also with the limited-slip differential and Brembo brakes from the Club model. All of these parts are fully warrantied by Long Road Racing for the length of the OEM warranty, and they don't void the factory warranty. We had the opportunity to try out a car customized by Long Road Racing at the M1 Concourse track in Pontiac, Mich. The car was there to sample alongside some of the MX-5 Cup cars as well as several of Mazda's stock road cars to drive on course. The road-going Long car started as a Grand Touring model, and it retains its heated leather seats and automatic climate control.