Paul,

Maybe this is old news, maybe not.  I was reading about the new GM Volt
and there was an interesting link where they state that Mazda is hard at
work on an extended-range electric vehicle called the E-REV.  Here is
what they said that caught my attention.

"Mazda engineers are hard at work trying to develop a rival to the
Chevrolet Volt." Inside sources claim that prototype trials are already
underway using MPV bodyshells *that use a rotary engine to charge the
battery.*

The link is
http://gm-volt.com/2008/08/28/volt-competition-mazdas-secret-e-rev-program-toyota-forwards-plug-in-fleet-to-2009/


Maybe that is where the 16B is destined.  Might turn out to be a good
source of engines for years to come.

Mark S.

The Volt is far from a foregone conclusion. Using a engine to charge a battery
and then using the battery to run a motor to move the car is not a good idea.
eff.1 X eff.2 X eff.3 X eff.4 equals low efficiency (eff.) overall.
The only thing in favor of this heavy approach is if you recover the braking energy. The current hybrids are marginally cost effective for highway use in all climates. Here in LA most people spend most of the time on the freeway at 80 MPH or above. Hybrids are hauling around useless extra weight in that mode of driving. The hybrid's piston engine is doing all the work. Flat city use of current hybrids is cost effective in moderate climates due to the recovery of the braking energy.

A friend of mine has a hybrid and he lives on the top of a hill. Going up the hill his car gets bad MPG because he is hauling the extra weight of motors, generators and batteries. The only way he can mitigate that is to coast down the
hill.

Another factor is Toyota hybrids are very carefully stream lined. The typical drag factor (C sub d) for a non hybrid car is .3 or above. A Prius is .26. Why doesn't Toyota design all their cars with a .26 drag factor?

A third factor is light weight. The Prius uses extensive use of expensive aluminum and light composite body parts. Why doesn't Toyota build all their cars out of aluminum and light composite body parts?

A fourth factor is the use low rolling resistance, hard rubber tires pumped up to high pressure on the Prius.

Same question. The answer is people won't buy them. They will buy low cost, style and a good ride. Style and good aerodynamics are mutually incompatible.
Take a look at some of the box cars being bought.

The truth is the Prius is a phony car designed as a PR exercise.
Part of the extra cost of building the Prius is chalked up to advertising
and improving the green image of Toyota.  As far as I can tell the Volt is in the same category. IMHO it is a mistake for Mazda to fall into that trap.
It is also not much of a secret as here is a picture of the Mazda device at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show.

I am not saying that recovering the braking energy is a bad idea.
What I am saying is using an electric solution to recover braking energy IS a bad idea.

The new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) used in next years Formula 1 cars is probably a much more efficient way of doing it as  it is not going to add that much weight. It will use a high speed small flywheel rotating in a vacuum. This is far better from an energy storage per pound of weight point of view than any battery/generator system. If you want to convert mechanical energy from one form to another there is no beating a set of gears. That is why manual gear box cars get better MPG than traditional torque converter auto transmission cars. The new automatic shift manual transmissions is an exception and is the wave of the future.

The most effective thing to do is focus on improving the basic conversion of fuel to mechanical energy in the first place. Combined cycle gas turbine power plants are showing the way with efficiency's over 50%. These units are purely rotational with nothing reciprocating. A gas turbine followed by a steam turbine using the waste heat from the gas turbine is how it is done. Rotating internal combustion engines, like the turbine and the rotary engine, are intrinsically light weight devices. Engine weight and overall empty weight is everything when it comes to efficiently moving a vehicle. Less empty weight generally means (but not always) there was less energy used to manufacture the materials. The solution is marry the rotary to the turbine to recovery some of the waste heat and use KERS to recover some of the braking energy. Once the local overall vehicle efficiency approaches a remote electric power plant there is no point to an electric car or hybrid.

That is of course unless we convert to nuclear power like the rest of civilized
world.

Paul Lamar