Say hello to the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, Mazda's first rotary-powered car since 2012

Mazda unveiles the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a plug-in hybrid model that uses a rotary engine as a generator.

Remember when we said last November that Mazda would finally revive the rotary engine? Well that time has come as Mazda has just unveiled the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a plug-in hybrid car that uses a rotary engine as a generator.

Yes yes, it's not what you have come to expect from words such as 'Mazda would revive the rotary engine', but hey, Mazda is just moving on with the times and has found a new purpose for the rotary engine.

Suppose you're still here and intrigued by the rotarty powered car. In that case, the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is a series plug-in hybrid that continues to deliver the same experience as the original MX-30, while simultaneously offering owners new ways of using their car as a battery electric vehicle. 

The MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV has an 85 km battery electric driving range which is sufficient for a wide range of everyday driving needs, but the addition of the rotary generator enables long distance drives. 

Mazda chose to use a rotary engine as a generator system to lever the unique way in which rotary engines can produce the required output with a small power unit.

Mazda developed the new-age rotary engine to work as a generator and has positioned it on the same axel as the high-output motor and a generator in the motor room. Mazda then paired this compact electric power unit with a 17.8 kWh lithium-ion battery (half the size of the original MX-30) and a 50 L gas tank to achieve the unique series plug-in hybrid system.

Since it's a plug-in-hybrid, you can also charge the car via an external source, where an 11kW AC input would juice the battery to full in 50 minutes. There's also fast DC charcging up to 36kW, which would get the battery from 20-80% state of charge in just 25 minutes. 

Just like some EVs out there, the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV can also power up appliances, as it has a 1,500-watt auxiliary power port inside. 

For those who think the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is quite tame looking, it will be available in a special edition model: “Edition R.”, which features black-based exterior and interior trims with Maroon Rouge Metallic - a remake of the roof colour of Mazda's first passenger vehicle, the Mazda R360 Coupe.

It also includes exclusive design elements such as a rotor-shaped emblem sewn into the floor mats and embossed on the seat headrests.

There's no details yet to when it will be on sale, but it should be one of the most interesting plug-in-hybrids available on sale when it eventually hits the showroom floors.